Miserere
by Dakota-Jones
Summary: AU. Zexion thinks he's finally living his dream, working at a prestigious scientific laboratory right out of college. But will he change his mind when the new subject of his research tests his morals, his beliefs, and his dedication to his trade? Zemyx!
1. Chapter 1

Title: Miserere (Translation: Have Mercy) - Chapter One  
Author: DJ  
Rating: PG-13 overall, rating may increase later.  
Warnings: Language  
Pairings: Zexion/Demyx, Xemnas/Saix mentioned, other pairings may develop  
Summary: AU. Zexion is finally living his dream, working at a prestigious scientific laboratory right out of college. And when he's given an important position in an upcoming project, he thinks life couldn't get better. But will he change his mind when the subject of his research tests his morals, his beliefs, and his dedication to his trade?  
Author's Notes: I like this fic. A lot. So I decided to share it. It's not really in my usual style, so I feel like I'm branching out a little. Hope you like it too!

It had been the longest two weeks of Zexion's entire life.

Upon leaving college and gaining a position at this particular institution, he expected a life of the extraordinary, the freedom to study things that few other labs received funding to study. After all, this firm was famous for its studies of the biggest mysteries of the world. Their theories on everything from atmospheric phenomenon to deep sea creatures were simply legendary.

Zexion was the youngest person ever hired by the lab. Having straight A's through his entire college career as well as experience in his father's microbiology lab had secured the position for him a year before he was even set to graduate.

Now here he was. Two weeks of nothing but studying the diets of shallow water fish.

He was restricted from most areas, which he honestly expected. But to be given the task of writing reports on already well established information? This was demeaning, to say the least.

He stopped typing for a few moments, leaning back in his chair and diverting his gaze from the screen. His eyes were aching from hours of staring at nothing but the black and white of book pages and the half-written report on the diet of a few varieties of the seahorse.

_This is entirely absurd. I'm worth more than this,_ he thought, eyeing the fish tank in his office wall as the clownfish ducked into an anemone. Fish were fascinating creatures, most definitely, but not worth two weeks of studying what they _ate_. When he was hired here, he expected travel, intrigue, constant food for a mind that craved something different than the norm.

He stood slowly, stretching his stiff limbs as he stepped closer to the tank. The lionfish swiveled in the water to eye him through the thick glass, and Zexion pressed three fingers to the tank wall, eyes locking with the eyes of the brightly colored creature.

The lionfish did no more than stare at him and twitch its fins. He was certain that the poor fish was probably bored out of its mind, trapped in a glass cage, its behavior on display for him and the people in the lab on the other side of the wall.

Like him. Trapped in a monotonous existence, under constant surveillance by people he simply couldn't touch. He suddenly longed for those lazy days in college, when he and Axel would bicker about who had the worse teachers, and whether Zexion getting drunk was a good idea.

Now Axel was working in a law firm. A very prestigious law firm, at that. Every time they met for drinks lately, Zexion could only admire how his friend was living his dream, snagging the big cases and wrecking havoc on the normally stoic courtrooms with his passionate way of approaching cases.

Zexion was comparing himself to a fish. A _fish_.

_This cannot be good for my sanity._

A knock on the door interrupted Zexion's thoughts, and he turned away from the tank. "Come in."

A young blonde woman slipped into the room, her lab coat splashed with some kind of blue liquid. She was slender, curvy, with pale skin, vibrant eyes and blonde hair- in other words, Larxene was a very portrait of feminine beauty. Unfortunately, she was not mute.

"Are your reports done?"

Zexion shook his head. "I'm midway through the freshwater seahorses. All that's left after that is the octopus, then I'll be finished."

She snorted, tossing her hair. "A little slow, aren't you?"

"I prefer the term _thorough_," Zexion pointed out, his hands tightening into fists. "Unless you'd prefer I rush and possibly make mistakes out of haste."

"Yeah, whatever, kiddo. Look, we need those reports by tomorrow afternoon. We're bringing in a research specimen from the gulf and we need everyone on their toes about it."

"A research specimen?"

Larxene smirked in that cruel way of hers, then held up the file she was holding. On the cover in large red letters was the word 'Confidential'.

"You aren't high enough up the food chain yet."

"I'm hardly less incompetent than some of the amateurs you have running your experiments."

Larxene arched an elegant eyebrow. Zexion realized that he was taking a risk in talking back to _her_ like this, of all people, but he was at his boiling point. He didn't take six years of highly advanced courses to be set aside like this. "Amateurs?" Larzene repeated, her tone both curious and amused.

"Saix doesn't know which end of a microscope to look into. The only reason he's a lab assistant is because he provides Xemnas with entertainment five times a day," Zexion said, lifting his chin. "I'm not stupid. I'm quite aware when my abilities aren't being utilized in the way they should be."

Of all reactions, Larxene did the one thing Zexion didn't expect her to do- she laughed. The sound was almost foreign, coming from her; though she had a light, colorful voice, nobody was fooled into thinking she was unintelligent or kind. Zexion made that mistake his first day, but he certainly realized his mistake by the time she'd dumped a bacterial suspension in his hair for his 'tone of voice'.

"I like you, kid. I liked your resume, I liked you in your interview, and I like you even more here. You have real spunk," she finally said, giving him a quick all-over look. "I'll tell you what…Xemnas has strict policies about who can work on which projects, by level of experience and amount of time working here. Normally, those policies can't be overstepped by anyone."

"You're his niece and his most trusted employee. I don't doubt you can pull strings," Zexion said. Larxene chuckled again.

"I pull more than strings, darling," she said, tilting her head and setting her hands on her hips. "You have real potential. I can see you owning the company, someday. I wouldn't have pleaded your case with Xemnas if I didn't feel that way. So…I don't see any harm in letting you step up to bat, just for a while."

"A test."

"Damn right. I put you in charge of a section of this project, and see if you swim or drown."

"That sounds infinitely better than the grunt work you've dumped on me for the past two weeks."

Larxene paused in thought, eyeing the carpet for a few moments. Then, she looked back up at Zexion with a bit of an odd expression. "You a people person, Zexion?"

Zexion's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Hardly."

"Do you like music?"

"What does this have to do with the project?"

Larxene clicked her tongue at him. "I'm asking the questions. You should be kissing my shoes for the favor I'm doing for you. Answer the question."

Zexion sighed. "I suppose. Jazz, classical, it varies."

"Good. I know exactly where I'm putting you on this project," Larxene said, flipping open her confidential file and making a note. "You'll be taking psychological evaluations of the research subject, as well as shifts of observation."

Zexion stared. "You want me to psychoanalyze a fish."

"That's the idea. Make sure it doesn't get too stressed in its new environment, make notes of habits and behavior, the usual," she continued, then she snapped the file shut. "Sleep in tomorrow. Finish those reports tonight, come in at noon tomorrow, the subject is here at one. We'll do environmental acclimation through the afternoon and evening, then you'll have the first overnight observational shift. Happy?"

Zexion snorted. "As long as I'm not observing a common goldfish, it's a step up."

Silence for a moment. Larxene's smirk widened. "It's more than a step up. Try a flight of stairs," she said, opening the door again. "You're going to be helping us make _history_ tomorrow, Zexion. For aiding us on this project, you'll be set for life."

The door shut behind her, and Zexion stood in silence as her footsteps retreated down the hall. He stared at the wooden door, his arms crossed, his mind still grinding away on the possibilities of tomorrow.

Did they find an extinct species? Would he be observing some kind of prehistoric creature long thought dead? Even the mere thought was enough to give him the mental fuel to get through what was left of the reports. He was done an hour after his shift should have ended, and he dropped the reports off in the lab, then decided to give Axel a call. After all, he finally had something to celebrate, and who better to celebrate with?

* * *

"Wow, man, that's really cool!"

Zexion took a small sip from his iced tea as Axel leaned forward, his green eyes bright with interest. "Do you know what kind of fish you're gonna have? Is it a dinosaur? Cause that would be awesome, unless you pulled a whole Jurassic Park thing and ended up dead. But hey, I would so pick up your parents' case in your wrongful death."

"That's a comforting thought," Zexion said with a snort. "Unfortunately, it's all confidential. Even when I find out tomorrow, I'm strictly forbidden from giving the information to a civilian."

"I'm not a civilian, I'm a lawyer!"

"There's something _incredibly_ flawed in your line of logic sometimes."

"Yeah, I get that from growing up next door to you, freak show."

Zexion laughed, shaking his head. "You really are something else."

Axel tapped his fingers on the table impatiently. "So, are you gonna tell me what it is when you find out, or not?"

"Maybe."

"Aw, come on…"

"Depending on what it is, maybe," Zexion said, his voice stern. "You're lucky I'm even saying maybe."

Axel grinned and took a shot of whiskey, leaning back in his chair with a sigh. "I'll tell you what. You let me in on your mysterious science project, and I let you in on the latest case. Hell, you can't turn that down, this case is _juicy_. Triple homicide and all."

"I saw the news. Somehow, I wasn't surprised that a man with guilty practically stamped on his forehead would go to you for a good defense."

Axel smirked. "I'm just that good, and you know it."

Zexion wrinkled his nose as the person sitting behind him lit up a cigarette, and he finished his glass of tea and stood. "I need to get out of this stuffy place. Are you coming?"

Axel nodded, slapping money down on the table before standing up. They left the bar and started walking down the waterfront, taking the boardwalk toward downtown. That was one thing Zexion didn't have to miss from college; he still lived within walking distance of his best friend.

The evening air was warm, but with a breeze off the water that left a bit of a chill. Zexion tightened his jacket around himself, taking in a deep breath of the salty air. The rhythmic sounds of waves lapping against the rocks was almost hypnotic, and for a few minutes they walked in silence, only the occasional car passing by or other people on a stroll disturbing the tranquility.

"So…you found yourself a nice, nerdy girl at the lab yet?" Axel finally asked, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his trenchcoat.

"Only one girl works at the lab, and you simply couldn't pay me enough to approach her romantically."

"Is she hot?"

"She's…physically attractive."

Axel barked out a laugh. "Oh, one of _those_."

"If by 'one of those', you mean a psychotic creepy bitch on a power trip, then yes. She's one of those," Zexion said with a half smile. "I suppose she's tolerable, if you don't anger her."

"Anybody else there?"

"Just the usual," Zexion said with a shrug. "The amateur screwing his way to higher pay, the grunts doing menial labor, and the heads of department who think they get to decide what all the evidence means."

Axel patted Zexion on the shoulder. "Well, I'm glad they're finally giving you something to do. It'd be a shame to put a mind like yours to waste, especially when you tend to blow things up when you're bored."

"That was one time!"

"One time is enough when it comes to property damage, my friend."

Axel continued on about property damage and the cases he'd researched in which it was a major concern, but Zexion's mind had wandered. He was looking out at the water as he walked, studying the last tendrils of light clutching to the gentle rise and fall of the waves. He could've sworn he saw the shine of a large fish's scales for a moment, but it was hard to tell in the dim light.

He'd always wanted to see more than pictures of that vast world under the water, but that was a bit of a stretch for him. He loved the water, and he was fascinated by all the creatures who lived in it, but he doubted he would ever be able to join them in their element. He'd never learned to swim.

"Zexion? Hey, I'm talkin' here. Jurors don't even tune me out, and look at you, you're somewhere else," Axel teased, shaking Zexion gently. Zexion cleared his throat and said a quick apology.

"I got distracted."

"No shit," Axel said. "Well, this is where I leave you. Be sure to call me after your shift tomorrow night, we'll meet for drinks again."

Zexion nodded. "Of course. Be safe, Axel."

"Hey, safe was almost my middle name, but catastrophe had a better ring to it."

With that, Axel jogged across the street, quickly turning the corner past a small pet shop. Zexion sighed, looking back out at the water. The light was finally leaving it, striking a sharp contrast between the inky blackness of the deep water and the lights of the city stretching along the coast. Ocean and land, pressed along each other like lovers.

He could postpone sleep just a _little_ longer. Even if this was the closest he'd ever get to seeing below that moving black curtain of water, he could still wonder and dream. After all, even in science there was more than adequate room for imagination.

Tomorrow, just maybe, he could let the facts do better than his imagination ever could.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: This chapter is primarily setting up the two main plotlines- edging up to the starting line of the race, so to speak. And yep, I sure will try to update once a day or once every other day, if at all possible!

* * *

Sleeping in was something Zexion hadn't done in months. When he woke up and turned his head to see the clock, he had a momentary stab of panic when it said '10:30am'. Then he remembered the afternoon ahead of him, and he sank back against the pillow with a sigh, taking time to stretch and wake up.

This was the day when he could turn things around. This was the day he could really prove himself, show to Xemnas that he could handle the more important tasks.

He ate and dressed quickly, eager to get to the lab and begin to prod Larxene for more information. As always, he turned on a news channel for a few minutes, greeted first by a report about the ongoing trial- Axel's present pride and joy.

And Axel had a right to be proud. Just that morning, he'd managed to disprove a key piece of the prosecutor's evidence. Axel's reputation was skyrocketing, and the prosecutor's case was crumbling more with each moment.

Zexion smirked. In time, Axel might even convince _him_ the guy wasn't guilty. It had always struck him as odd that a man who'd only burglarized grocery stores would leap to murder over peoples' wallets, but he didn't profess to understand the mind of a criminal.

He left for work early, taking his usual path down the boardwalk to the lab, which was only half a mile past where he and Axel always met for drinks. The sun was already high in the sky, the waves a little rougher than they had been the night before.

Once again, that melancholy swept over Zexion, and his footsteps slowed. The ocean was so close, and yet there was such a barrier in place; if he believed in God, he might believe that God put the water there to make it harder for humans to disturb the pristine world below.

If that was the case, then God's plan was becoming less and less effective with the new technology around.

Zexion finally reached the lab, swiping his card and going past a security guard to get in. The security guard was Cloud, an intimidating young man whom Zexion often spoke to on his breaks. None of the other scientists seemed to give Cloud the time of day.

"You're in later than usual," Cloud said as he turned the page of his newspaper.

"I'm taking an overnight shift tonight with a new specimen coming in," Zexion explained, leaning against the security desk. "Do you know anything about it?"

Cloud shrugged. "All I know is that Larxene and Xemnas left early this morning to go with the research boat. They're not back yet, so if you wanna slack off, I'll cover for you."

"Thanks," Zexion said, but with a frown. "But…Xemnas never goes out with the research boat. Marluxia told me that himself, and he's been here for years."

"Don't ask me. You know I don't know anything around here. Except that I signed for a shipment here yesterday that was full of canned tuna, crabs, and raw fish."

"Probably food for the specimen."

"Probably. If I hear anything else, you'll be the first to know."

Zexion smiled, pulling away from the desk. "Thanks."

"No problem."

Zexion headed for the lab, his mind taking in the new information. Average sized fish, and canned tuna…the research subject probably wasn't all that big, if they weren't ordering larger feeder fish. He was nearly trembling with excitement as he swiped his card and entered the lab- and he was shocked to see a very large tank in the middle of the room.

He probably shouldn't have been surprised, but it was still a big change from the usual landscape of the room- small machines and tables. There was a computer hooked up to the tank, and on the screen were constantly updating values of water temperature and pH balance, among other things. The tank itself was devoid of any plant life or animal life, which pointed strongly to the idea that the fish being brought in was strictly carnivorous.

"Good afternoon!" a cheerful voice called out, and Zexion tore his eyes away from the tank to see a shaggy mop of pink hair behind one of the larger microscopes. Marluxia lifted his head, gesturing at the tank. "What do you think? I spent all night helping set it up!"

"It's…big. Very big."

Marluxia rolled his eyes. "That's kind of the point. After all, with what's going in it, the space will be needed!"

Zexion saw his opportunity. "What _is _going in it?"

A pause. "I don't know, now that you mention it…"

"You don't know?"

"No one does. Xemnas ordered that the information of species and such stayed between him and Larxene and Xaldin until the subject was safely here, at the lab. Then he'll brief us," Marluxia said, checking his watch. "They should be back anytime. I got a call ten minutes ago from Larxene, she said the subject was safely captured and they were heading back."

Zexion sighed. This game of twenty questions was quickly becoming tiring, but if Marluxia was right, they'd all be enlightened any moment about the identity of this mystery creature.

A sudden crash made him jump, and both he and Marluxia turned to face the back room, where the electron microscope was stored. A hand waved from somewhere on the floor outside the door.

"I'm okay!"

Marluxia groaned. "Xigbar, it's been five months."

Xigbar stood, brushing himself off and pushing his ponytail back over his shoulder. "It's hard to get used to! You try wearing an eyepatch around for a while, see what kinda things you run into, dude."

Zexion couldn't help but snicker. He'd already heard the story about how Marluxia's experiment with a rare Amazonian venom-spitting flower had ended in the loss of Xigbar's eye. That's why Marluxia had his own lab for his plant-based experiments now- and why Xigbar was still constantly running into things.

"Where's Saix?" Zexion asked, eyeing the man's work station. Xigbar shrugged.

"He left early. He got really upset about somethin' he saw on TV in the break room."

"Odd…"

Zexion was about to ask Xigbar how the atom separation experiment was coming along, when the back door to the garage began to grind upward. Zexion's breath caught; this was it. The green research truck was there, and whatever they were going to study was stored in the back of it, right behind those tightly locked doors on the back of the truck.

The front doors of the truck opened, and Xaldin climbed out, but Larxene literally _leapt_ out the passenger side of the truck.

"Woohoo!" she cried out, rushing to the back. "We did it! The damn thing put up one helluva fight, too."

Xemnas stepped down from the backseat of the truck in his normal regal fashion, straightening his suit jacket before turning toward them. And when he did, Zexion's eyes widened; Xemnas was holding a bloody cloth around his left arm, the ripped sleeve pulled up to the elbow.

"What happened to you?" Xigbar asked.

"That little cretin _bit_ me," Xemnas said, his chin high even as his voice was tainted with barely restrained fury. Xigbar burst out laughing.

"Aw, man, I think I'm gonna like this one!"

Xaldin was muttering as he unlocked the three large locks on the back of the truck, then he opened the doors to reveal…a long black box. And from inside, Zexion could distinctly hear a thumping sound that resembled…fists. It sounded like someone was banging on the inside of the box.

"H-Hey! Let me out of here! Please, let me out!"

There was utter silence in the lab. Larxene, Xemnas, and Xaldin seemed unaffected by the fact that a very _human_ voice was coming from inside that box, but Zexion, Marluxia, and Xigbar were staring in shock.

"Larxene…what's in that box?" Marluxia asked, his voice quiet for once.

Xigbar let out a growl. "Better yet, who?"

"Oh, relax, you guys," Larxene said with a dismissive gesture as Xaldin lifted the box. "Just shut up and watch."

Whoever was inside let out a shriek as Xaldin tilted the box to climb the stairs to the top of the tank- the man's strength was simply astounding. Zexion still felt like his stomach was somewhere in his feet now, his mouth felt dry, and he couldn't quite summon the ability to speak.

There was a person in that box. A human being. Not a fish. Not unless they found some form of sentient fish that had developed the ability to speak.

Xaldin pressed a button by the tank with his foot once he was on the upper level, and a section of the glass top of the tank slid open with a hissing sound. Zexion didn't even realize he was holding his breath as Xaldin slid one end of the black box open, tilted it, allowed the contents to fall into the water below, then pressed the same button again to close the tank.

At first, bubbles obscured the view of the creature within the tank. Then, as the bubbles cleared, Zexion's eyes widened.

It wasn't human. It wasn't a fish, either.

It was a mermaid.

Zexion heard a thud, saw Marluxia drop to his knees out of the corner of his eye, but he didn't take his gaze away from the tank. The boy didn't look a day over 20, his skin a beautiful lightly tanned shade with a nearly ethereal glow. His blonde hair was long, nearly down to his shoulders, and his bluish-green eyes were wide with fear and confusion.

The real mesmerizing part of him, though, was the fin. It was a light blue that turned nearly silver when caught by the right light, with a flowing smaller fin on each hip. The scales shone as the frightened mermaid gave his fin a kick, meeting up with one wall of the tank.

Zexion felt sick. He felt absolutely ill as the realization hit the beautiful creature, and he swam along one wall, hands pressing to glass in a desperate attempt to find a means of escape. He only met another wall.

The mermaid's eyes met his. He could only stare in stunned silence.

"Isn't it just amazing?" Larxene said, breaking the silence of the lab. "We've been tailing this one for three months."

No one answered her. Zexion took a few steps forward, then hesitantly put his hand against the glass. The mermaid pressed his hand to the other side, and once again, they locked eyes.

"Please. _Please_, take me back!"

Zexion could only look away. Boy, was that a mistake. Before he even knew what the finned teenager was doing, the mermaid swam backward a few paces, then swung his fin _hard_. It struck the glass so hard that Zexion yelped and fell backward, landing on his ass on the floor.

Xemnas and Xaldin started laughing. "This is why I ordered the reinforced glass for you guys. This little brat is feisty."

"But…how…" Marluxia managed, slowly making his way back to his feet. Zexion still hadn't attempted to stand.

"This is our research specimen, gentlemen," Xemnas said, stepping closer to the tank. "A mermaid. No scientific name as of yet. Your jobs have already been explained to you by Larxene. Marluxia is in charge of environmental controls, Xigbar is running any medical testing, and Zexion will taking psychological evaluations on a regular basis and keeping a journal of habitual behaviors."

"I won't do it," Xigbar suddenly said, crossing his arms. "This isn't an animal, he's perfectly sentient."

Larxene snorted. "Look, when you signed your contract, you knew you'd be doing some controversial shit. Don't tell me you're backing out now, when you have a chance to make history! You'll be famous. Rich."

Zexion tuned them out. The debate of ethics went unnoticed as he slowly pushed his way back to his feet, his eyes locked on the young man in the tank.

The mermaid was rubbing his fin where it had made contact with the glass, the expression on his face one of frustration and anger. When he looked up from his fin, he once again met Zexion's gaze, but this time the expression wasn't fear. It was hatred.

Zexion had never been so affected by the way someone looked at him. He felt like the world was crumbling around him.

"Zexion!"

He jumped in surprise, then turned around, met by the stares of everyone in the room. "Y-Yes?"

Larxene sighed. "Are you going to be taking part in this study, or are you having a crisis of conscience, too?"

"I…"

He hesitated. Luckily, though, Marluxia saved him from having to answer.

"Why don't we ask the mermaid if he'd be willing to partake in a study? That way we at least don't have to brand ourselves as _kidnappers_."

By this time, the mermaid was attacking the glass again. He was punching it, slapping his fin against it, anything to try and crack the glass. Like Xaldin said, he was feisty, and not about to just sit passively in an empty tank.

Xemnas, though, wasn't having any discussion of morals. "This is how my lab is run. Anyone who has a problem with this experiment is perfectly welcome to leave," he said dryly. "Though I doubt you would accomplish much more than the loss of a job. It's not as if anyone would actually believe you when you say that we're harboring a mermaid against his will."

Silence fell once again, other than the pleading cries of the trapped mermaid behind Zexion. But all the same, no one walked out.

It appeared that the fascination with the creature of legend was overcoming any urge to take the higher moral ground, even in Zexion. He didn't want to move from this spot, not until he'd divulged every secret of this mythical race.

Even if he had to set aside a little empathy to get there.

"Good. Then the research begins now," Larxene said, setting her briefcase on the desk and opening it up. She began handing out files to each scientist, and Zexion quickly opened his, having a look at the charts inside.

"This…can't be right," he said, eyeing the history of the specimen. "It says here that this…specimen was first sighted near downtown."

"That's quite correct," Xemnas said. "Why do you think we have the tank covered? We have obtained security camera footage from four cameras downtown, showing him masquerading as a human."

"Impossible."

"Well, that's one thing we'll be testing," Larxene said, walking over to the glass. She tapped it hard, and the mermaid winced. "Ha! Just like the goldfish I had when I was five. Just a big fish."

_Just a fish._

Zexion pressed a hand to the glass, and this time, it went ignored. The beautiful blonde creature was exhausted from its efforts, and it sank to the bottom slowly, curling up tightly on the bottom of the tank.

_That's it. Just keep the pronoun 'it' firmly in place, don't think of it as a 'he'. You're a scientist, it's your job to look at things in a rational and detached manner._

As he watched, the mermaid's shoulders began to shake. His whole body was trembling, and Zexion hesitated, a wave of nausea hitting him again. The mermaid, he was…

Larxene suddenly shoved a notebook and pen at him. "Make a note, time and behavior. Do your job, don't just gawk."

Zexion paused again, watching the mermaid as he opened up the notebook.

**12:21 pm, June 29****th****, 2007**

**The mermaid has exhibited the ability to cry in an identical manner to humans. Behavior duration: 18 minutes.**

* * *

"He won't eat."

Larxene snorted. "It's not like he's going to starve. He'll eat when he's done being mopey."

The mermaid hadn't moved in hours. It was still curled up on the floor of the tank, unmoving. Zexion would've thought it dead if he couldn't see its chest rise and fall though the tangle of arms and fin.

It was time for the others to leave for the night, and they were setting things up for tomorrow's experiments. Zexion stood by the tank, coffee in hand, only three or four notes made in his journal.

"It'll be more active tomorrow. This one is a ball of energy, it won't be able to sit still much longer," Larxene said, clamping a hand tightly on Zexion's shoulder. "You'll have more to do the longer it's here."

"And just how long is that?"

Larxene chuckled. "Until we're satisfied."

She patted him on the shoulder and walked away, grabbing her briefcase and her coat. Soon, it was only him left in the lab, the others leaving in silence soon after the bosses were gone. It seemed like everyone wanted to get home and be by themselves tonight.

The lights were dim, and Zexion pulled up a chair beside the tank, sitting down with his coffee and his journal.

The mermaid didn't move. The only sound was that of the pump on the tank, keeping the water continuously in motion. Zexion just watched for a few minutes, his mind wandering once again.

He felt _horrible_. Sure, it was in pursuit of knowledge, but the mermaid was completely miserable. He bit his lip, then decided that he should at least try to do something nice for the poor thing.

"Hey…uh, you. Mermaid," he said, tapping lightly on the glass. No response. He sighed, then got up, walking over to the drink station set up in the lab. He made a cup of hot chocolate, then thought for a moment before taking the stairs up to the second level.

_Xemnas will have my head for this,_ he thought, sitting down on the edge of the upper level and pressing the button to open a small section of the tank lid. The mermaid finally moved at the sudden hissing sound, his head jerking as he looked up to see what it was.

"Come on up. I brought you something," Zexion said, trying to see through the ever-moving surface of the water. The mermaid didn't move. "Please?" Zexion added for good measure, but still, nothing.

_This was a stupid idea. I don't even know if he can digest chocolate,_ Zexion thought with a sigh, and then he set the hot chocolate down by the edge of the tank and stood up. Or at least, he tried to.

Some water was still left on the floor where it had splashed when the mermaid got unceremoniously dumped into the tank. Zexion's foot slid on the floor, sending him into a fall- right into the tank. He flailed, unprepared to be submerged, not an ounce of breath in him to hold. He took in a breath of the salt water, jerked, and everything went from dizzy to black.

* * *

Zexion came to slowly, his head aching as he shifted and moaned. He could feel the hard floor beneath him, and his lungs almost felt sore. He opened his eyes, blinking a few times- and hovering over him were bright, inquisitive eyes. The mermaid.

He let out a yelp of surprise, looking around. He was on the second level, by the tank's edge, and soaking wet. And sitting beside him was the mermaid, only he was very _human._

And very _naked_.

"Are you okay?" the mermaid asked, tilting his head. Zexion just stared.

"You…you…have legs," he managed. "You have legs."

"Of course I do, when I wanna," the mermaid said indignantly, crossing his arms. "You fell in the tank."

"I know," Zexion said, sitting up and coughing, and also attempting to avoid looking at the mermaid's lower half. "You…saved me?"

The blonde nodded. "You're a really bad swimmer."

"I _can't_ swim."

"That's ridiculous, everybody can swim!"

Zexion laughed. "Not everybody can swim, I promise you that," he muttered, then he looked curiously at the mermaid. "Why didn't you run away? Even after you pulled me out, you could've left…"

"I had to stay and make sure you're okay," the blonde pointed out. "I'm not completely _heartless_, like you people."

"That…listen, I can explain about that," Zexion said, wincing at the accusatory tone. "None of us knew they were bringing in a mermaid."

"Merman."

"What?"

The merman rolled his eyes. "I'm a merman, duh. Not a mermaid. How would you like me to run around calling _you_ a girl?"

Zexion couldn't help but smile. "You're right. I'm sorry," he said. "Speaking of what to call you…do you have a name?"

The merman nodded. "Demyx. And you're Zexion, right?"

"Yes. So, Demyx…I'm really sorry about all this. I can't say I agree with their decision to keep you here, but I…"

"But you're going to help them anyway."

Zexion sighed with frustration, burying his face in his hands. This was getting so confusing, so quickly. If he helped Demyx escape, right now, he might feel better- but Xemnas had real power in the scientific community. He'd never work in another lab in his life.

"Hey, this stuff is good!"

Zexion snapped his attention back to Demyx, who was sitting with his fin in the water- he'd somehow switched back to fin while Zexion wasn't paying attention- the forgotten hot chocolate grasped in his hands. He was sipping at it cautiously, kicking the water like a little kid.

"It's hot chocolate."

Demyx nodded. "I saw it on signs and stuff when I went on walks, but I don't carry human money, so…"

"Why did you go for walks like that?"

"For the same reason you thought it would be a bright idea to dump me in a tank and stare at me for hours. But I don't run around kidnapping humans."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Zexion mumbled. "Listen, if I could do anything, I would. Try to look at the bright side; if you cooperate, we can get done a whole lot faster, then release you right back where we got you from. We're not _evil_, we don't want to torture you. We just want to learn about you."

Demyx eyed Zexion with skepticism. "You aren't even supposed to know we exist. I'm breaking our laws by even talking to you."

Zexion paused, watching Demyx as he began to gulp down the hot chocolate. He felt the urge to just open the door, let Demyx back to the ocean right now…but was he really ready to ruin his life over this? Really?

"I'll make you a deal."

Demyx turned to look at Zexion. "A deal?"

"You stay and cooperate, so I can learn about you. If you do that, stay a few weeks at the very most, I will not only help you escape…but I'll make sure all the evidence of your existence is completely destroyed," Zexion explained. "I don't particularly care about getting famous or rich from the things I learn about you. I just…want to know. And if I have the time, I can figure out a way to do this for the benefit of both of us."

Demyx took a few long moments to consider this. He stared down into his hot chocolate, kicking at the water gently.

"I want hot chocolate every night," he finally said. "And human food! I want to try human food. I guess it could be a kind of…what do you call it? V…vay…"

"Vacation?"

"Yeah, that!"

Zexion smiled. "That sounds like a good deal to me. As long as you promise to start eating the fish, too, to keep your system balanced," he said, holding out his hand. Demyx stared at Zexion's hand in confusion for a few moments before the light bulb flicked on, and he grabbed onto Zexion's hand and shook it enthusiastically.

"You don't shake hands in your culture?"

"We slap fins."


	3. Chapter 3

"What happened last night?"

Zexion lifted his chin, trying to ignore the fact that Larxene was circling him like a vulture, just waiting on a wrong word or phrase to pounce on. She'd been frustrated and suspicious all morning- mostly because Demyx would only do what Zexion asked him to, and paid no heed to anyone else's requests.

"Nothing. Everything that happened is notated in my journal."

"Bullshit."

Zexion raised an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon?"

"You go off on break, and the mermaid suddenly goes deaf," Larxene said, finally stopping in her circles and crossing her arms. "Then you come back, and he's a perfectly well behaved little experiment. You did _something_."

Zexion knew what she was fishing for. A bribe, something of that sort. And that's exactly what had occurred- but like hell was he going to actually tell her that.

"Maybe he just appreciated the peace and quiet."

"_It_, Zexion," Larxene said, her tone unyielding. "It's a fish. I won't have you humanizing it and causing issues among the other scientists."

"You're the only one who has an issue with the pronouns."

"Do you want to be taken off this project?"

Zexion sighed. "I'm sorry, ma'am, that was out of line. It won't happen again."

"Good. Now get back out there so we can drain the damn tank."

Zexion was more than willing to leave Larxene's office. He headed back out to the lab, where Xigbar was standing by the computer console. Demyx was beside one wall of the tank, and the merman brightened considerably upon seeing Zexion again.

Xigbar chuckled. "I don't know what you did, Zexy, but you worked some magic," he said, and Zexion shot him a glare.

"Don't call me that. Just start the drain."

Xigbar shrugged, then pressed a few buttons and flipped a switch, and Demyx jumped in surprise as the water shifted and suddenly began to drain into the chambers on each side of the tank.

Zexion wished he could've warned Demyx, but as he'd explained to Demyx last night, he couldn't appear to be 'attached' in any way. Larxene might very well take him off the project if it appeared he was getting too emotional about the subject.

Obviously, Demyx wasn't too worried about it. All morning he'd only responded when spoken to by Zexion, and he was notably happier when Zexion was in the room. The merman was too happy-go-lucky to think that anything could go wrong now that they had a plan.

"One minute till full drain," Xigbar said, watching as Demyx flailed, the water rapidly getting shallow. The merman shot Zexion a fearful look, but Zexion simply turned his attention to the sensors, making notes of Demyx's body temperature and heart rate.

The water was getting too low for Demyx to swim in. He was lying on the floor of the tank now, supported by his arms only as his fin became useless without the water. Soon, all the water had drained, and Saix flipped the ladder into the tank and climbed in.

Demyx did _not_ like Saix, not one bit. He scrambled to move away, but there was no chance of escape- Saix knelt down beside him, grabbed the merman's arm, and started to sterilize his arm.

Demyx shot Zexion a panicked glance, and for once, Zexion did respond.

"He's taking a blood sample. It'll sting, but it will be over fast, alright?"

Demyx hesitated then nodded, his attention fully on Zexion as Saix plunged the needle into his arm. He yowled with pain and tried to pull away, but Saix was too strong, holding him in place and pulling back the plunger to reveal blood so dark that it was almost black.

_Overabundance of red blood cells, probably, _Zexion thought, making a note of it. _He needs the extra red blood cells to keep oxygen flowing more rapidly to the organs, as he can't breathe in as much oxygen as a normal human while underwater. ._

Zexion was surprised, though; even for Saix, that was a pretty violent way of going about that. Something seemed to have been bothering the blue haired man all day. Saix climbed out of the tank, leaving a pitiful looking Demyx to rub his arm, eyeing the pinprick where the needle had gone in. The merman looked up at Zexion again.

"Can you bring the water back now?"

Zexion shook his head. "Sorry, no. We're observing the effects of gradual drying."

"But my fin hurts when it gets all dry!"

"So switch to legs when it starts to hurt."

"But…I…"

"Stop making excuses," Larxene said from where she stood by the door. Her lip curled in contempt, and she finished with a harsher tone. "Your precious Zexion asked you to do it, I don't see the problem."

"Give him a break, Larxene," Xigbar said. "You should be thanking Zexion, or the kid would still be biting people."

"_Fish_. Not a kid, a fish. For God's sake people, I thought I hired professionals!"

And so, the experiments continued. It was routine stuff, testing the effects of dry air, hot air, cold air, cold water, hot water, all while keeping a close eye on Demyx's physical and mental reactions. Luckily it was nothing too painful, not for the first two days, and at the end of each day Demyx wanted nothing more than to curl up at the bottom of the tank and sleep.

He said he missed having a soft bed, but Zexion knew Larxene wouldn't have anything contaminating the water purity.

Demyx said that was okay, as long as he got to go home soon. Zexion only wished he could promise the merman that much.

* * *

"Come on, Zexion, you can tell me. I won't tell anyone, scouts' honor!"

"…You were never a boy scout."

"I could've said 'pyromaniac's oath', would that sound better?"

They were back in the tiny bar where they met for drinks, two nights after Zexion's first night watching Demyx. This time he had the morning shift, and Xaldin had the night shift. He already missed the chipper blonde, but he also had a breakfast meal stashed away in the lab refrigerator to give the boy.

Bacon, eggs, pancakes, sausage, all in limited amounts for him to try. Zexion had already brought him McDonald's and Taco Bell; he was determined to uphold his end of the bargain.

"Look, Axel, this experiment…it's a very big deal. And I just know you'll want to sue someone over it."

The redhead smirked, as if proud of that fact. "So?"

Zexion rolled his eyes, and Axel leaned forward, grabbing his short friend's hand tightly. "Come on, you know me. I didn't tell anyone when you came out to me, I didn't tell anyone when you accidentally killed Mrs. Pearson's hedgehog in 6th hour…"

"That was you."

"Well, yeah, but I conned you into taking the blame if anyone found out cause I already had a record, so it would've been you in trouble, but I didn't tell, now did I?"

Zexion eyed Axel for a few moments, then he sighed heavily. "Fine. Fine, I'll sneak you in on my morning shift for a couple hours and explain everything. The security guard still owes me for the time I caught his boyfriend hiding under his desk when Larxene came in early."

Axel grinned. "Awesome! Thanks, man, I owe you one!"

"So, what's going on with your case?" Zexion asked, waving off the 'thank you'.

"It's going great. I'm actually expecting the judge to dismiss the case tomorrow," Axel said, taking a long drink of his beer. "We dug up some security footage from the mall that clearly shows my client outside the window. That puts him 12 blocks from the scene of the crime 30 seconds before it happens."

"Convenient," Zexion said, swishing his straw in his iced tea. "Any other suspects?"

"Nope. They haven't got a clue. The only thing the three victims had in common is that they all worked as deckhands on the same boat. The Dianna Marie."

Zexion checked his watch, then sighed. "I think that I'm going to head home and get in a couple hours of sleep before we go to the lab. Meet me by pier 4, five o'clock?"

Axel nodded. "Whatever this shit is, I hope it's worth a 5am trip."

Zexion was tempted to correct him, but he restrained himself, for now. It would get too complicated at this moment if he asked Axel to call the experiment a 'he'.

* * *

Just as asked, Axel was waiting by pier 4 for Zexion when he arrived. The redhead was smoking a cigarette, his jacket wrapped tightly around him to fend off the cool sea breeze. The city was nearly dead at this hour, minus a few odd cars and some guy with his dog.

"S'frickin' cold out here," Axel said as Zexion approached, and Zexion gestured for him to follow. He led Axel to the lab, where he once again used his security card to get inside- only to find Cloud asleep at the desk.

"Effective security you've got there," Axel whispered, and Zexion chuckled.

"He's a nice guy. Let's just let him sleep," he said. "I'll go tell Xaldin I'm here. You wait down in my office, second door on the left. I'll come and get you when he's gone."

Axel did what he was told for once, and Zexion headed into the lab, where- surprise, surprise- Xaldin was asleep as well. All the dreadlocked man cared about was his boat, so it didn't surprise Zexion that he wouldn't give a shit about the most important experiment of the decade.

"Hey," he said, and the massive man jerked awake with a near growl. Zexion raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm here. You can go polish your decks, or whatever you do."

Xaldin spared Zexion only a glare before grabbing his bag and leaving the lab, and Zexion immediately turned his attention to the tank, where Demyx was sleeping peacefully. He hated to wake the merman, but he didn't want to scare him, either.

He tapped on the glass lightly, and blue-green eyes opened sleepily, lighting up when Demyx saw who was outside the tank. "Zexion!"

"Hey there," Zexion said. "Listen, I brought you breakfast, and a visitor. He's a very good friend of mine, a bit of an asshole, but I think you'll like him."

"Really? Will he like me?"

"Relax, he'll love you, I promise," Zexion said, chuckling as he pulled the breakfast foods out of the refrigerator. He used one of the burners usually used only for experiments and set a pan on it, tossing in the bacon and sausage to let it start cooking. "I'll go get him."

Zexion could feel his anxiety growing as he fetched Axel and brought him back to the lab. Would Axel be mad at him for going along with this? It was a possibility. Even with the bargain they had, the way Demyx was living was a bit cruel.

"Alright, just…try not to scare him, okay?" Zexion said, stopping Axel at the door. The redhead gave him a confused look.

"What, is the thing skittish or something? Doesn't like the color red? It's a fish, right? We can just use bait."

"…not really."

Axel frowned. "Zexion, what…"

That was when Zexion opened the door. Axel could clearly see the merman in the tank, as Demyx had his hands pressed to the glass, curious to see Zexion's friend. The redhead gaped, his feet seeming glued to the floor as he stared.

"I-Is that…?"

"Yep."

"You're not…"

"No."

Axel finally stepped into the lab, every step slow as he approached the tank. Demyx sank down a bit in the water, to get on Axel's level as the redhead touched the glass.

"Is he real?"

Demyx laughed, and Axel jumped in surprise, as if he honestly thought the merman was fake. Zexion smiled, leaning against the tank.

"Axel, meet Demyx," he said. "Demyx is a merman, from the gulf."

"Holy shit…" Axel breathed out, and Demyx grinned.

"Hi."

Axel jumped again. "Whoa, whoa, he can talk too?"

"He speaks English, just like us," Zexion pointed out, moving to continue cooking the breakfast. Axel had already spotted the stairs, and he headed up to the second level, where the tank was partially open. Demyx glanced up, then followed, getting to the surface with one powerful thrust of his fin.

"I can't believe it. I can't fucking believe it," Axel murmured as Demyx broke the surface and leaned on the edge of the tank. Demyx frowned.

"Fucking?"

Zexion nearly burned himself, fumbling with the pan. "Axel, don't you _dare_ start setting him up with your bad habits!"

Axel laughed, sitting down by the tank. "Can I touch your fin?" he asked, and just as Zexion was bringing up the food, Demyx laid back in the water to bring his fin to the surface. "Sure!"

Axel reached out and gently trailed a few fingers down Demyx's fin, and Zexion, out of sheer curiosity, decided to do the same. He set the food aside and knelt down, brushing his hand along the scales.

He expected it to feel, well…like a fish, but it didn't at all. The only thing he could compare it to was when he went on a summer research trip to tag dolphins after his junior year. The scales were thick, slick, and rubbery, and when he gently kicked the fin to stay afloat Zexion could feel the thick muscles shifting underneath. Like a dolphin with scales.

"That's so incredibly fucking cool, you have _no_ idea," Axel said, acting like a kid at a petting zoo.

"I can have legs, too!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! See, watch th-"

"No!" Zexion suddenly snapped, grabbing on to Demyx's fin to stop him. "Not right now. You can show him later. Preferably when I have clothes to give you."

"What's wrong with not havin' clothes?"

Axel raised his eyebrows suggestively. "Yeah, Zexy, what's wrong with not having clothes?"

"I'm not getting into this discussion with you two. Now come on, I have breakfast for all of us here, and it's getting cold." Zexion said firmly, setting down the tray on the edge. He couldn't really describe what had overcome him in that moment- although it felt a lot like possessiveness that kept him from allowing Demyx to show off his amazing ability. Somehow, the idea of someone else, even his best friend, seeing Demyx minus the clothing was enough to make his blood feel like it was preparing to boil.

Demyx moved upright again, and eyed the food on the tray. "What are they?"

"The long strips are called bacon, the short round things are sausage, and the brown saucer-shaped things are called pancakes," Zexion explained. "The yellow stuff is scrambled eggs."

"You never cook for me when I visit," Axel said with a mock pout, and Zexion slapped him on the shoulder.

"That's because all you do is complain about how overcooked or raw it all it."

Demyx grabbed a piece of bacon and stared at it for a few moments before taking a tentative bite, chewing thoughtfully. "…Hey, this isn't bad!"

The meal that followed was much of the same- Axel complained about Zexion's special treatment of Demyx, Demyx tried all the food, and Zexion made sure that Axel watched his language around the naïve mermaid. It wasn't until the food was gone that the conversation took a more serious turn.

"Xaldin just slept the whole time he was here," Demyx said softly. "I was afraid he'd be mean."

"He usually is," Zexion agreed. "Guess he was just tired."

"Probably from all that fighting."

Axel and Zexion both looked at Demyx curiously. "Fighting?" Axel repeated, and Demyx nodded.

"Yeah, last week I was hunting for seashells to bring back to mom, and I heard a big commotion on the surface. When I went up to look, two boats were _really_ close to each other. Xaldin was on one of 'em, and he was yelling all mean-like at the guys on the other boat."

Complete silence. Then, slowly, Axel asked, "Did you see the name of the boat, Demyx? The one Xaldin wasn't on?"

Demyx thought back. "Yeah…yeah, they're both the weird boats. They go out, but they don't fish. Let's see…somethin' about a Dianna…"

Zexion looked up at Axel wide-eyed. "Xaldin had a fight with those guys a week before they turn up dead?"

"Sounds like a lead to me," Axel said, but Zexion shook his head.

"It…couldn't have been Xaldin. I remember distinctly, the night that those murders took place he was helping us unload the new microscopes and shelving. It went on all evening, and I don't recall him leaving…"

Axel grinned mischievously. "This calls for an investigation, boys," he said. "Demyx…how would you like to get out of this stuffy lab for one night? Three sets of eyes are better than one."

Zexion blinked. "Axel, if we get caught…"

"We won't get caught," Axel said with a dismissive gesture. "We'll check with your guard pal when he wakes up, and we'll show Demyx the sights while we check out this new lead. It'll be fun!"

"Aw, please, Zexion?" Demyx pleaded. "Please? I've always wanted to explore…"

Zexion hesitated, then sighed. He was getting softer by the moment around this adorable, beautiful blonde.

"Fine. But I'm _not_ letting you get him drunk, Axel."


	4. Chapter 4

Zexion had to be going crazy.

Axel was closer to Demyx's size than Zexion was, so Zexion allowed the lawyer to choose clothing for Demyx's night on the town. Zexion was certain this was an awful mistake, trusting Axel's fashion sense with the kid's first real night in the human world. Not just observing, but being a part of it.

He tapped his fingers on the counter with a sigh, waiting on Axel and Demyx to return from his office, where the 'makeover' was being done. When the door to the lab finally opened, Zexion could only gape.

Demyx was in fairly tight, dark jeans, and a half unbuttoned black shirt with a thin loose tie around his neck. His normally wet blonde hair was standing in a half mohawk, half mullet style, black sneakers with flames on them on his feet, and black fingerless gloves on his hands. He absolutely _beamed_ as Axel stepped through the door behind him.

"See? I told you there was nothing to worry about," he said, draping an arm over Demyx's shoulders. "He's _hot_."

Zexion nodded dumbly, then snapped out of his dazed state. "Yeah…I mean, good job, Axel. He looks good. Really good."

Demyx looked ecstatic. "You really think so?" he asked, and Axel raised an eyebrow at Zexion, but didn't press the uncomfortable scientist.

"Come on, you two. We have…eight and a half hours before Xigbar comes in for the morning shift. Let's go show him the city and check out that boat," Zexion said, heading for the door. Demyx stumbled to catch up to him, grabbing onto Zexion's arm with a grin.

"Where're we goin' first?"

Axel smirked. "How about a nightclub?"

"What's that?"

"The absolute dredges of humanity in raw form," Zexion muttered, but Axel rolled his eyes.

"It's a place where humans go to drink and dance. It's fun," he explained, and Demyx's eyes lit up.

"I've always wanted to learn how to dance! It's harder to do with a fin…"

Zexion gave Axel a pointed look. "Demyx, this is not the kind of dancing that I would have you learning."

"Why not?"

"Because he's a stick in the mud," Axel said with a laugh. "Relax, Zexy. He'll have fun."

Axel led them to a favorite nightspot of his- the Purple Cougar, definitely a gay nightclub. Zexion called out to Axel to wait, and he placed his hands on Demyx's shoulders.

"Do you have…gay mermen? In your society?"

Demyx looked confused. "Gay?"

"Mermen who are with other mermen. Not mermaids."

"Of course we do!" Demyx said, laughing. "We don't have a _word_ for it, though."

Zexion blinked. "And you're okay with all that?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

All of a sudden, Zexion wished he was a merman, too. If Demyx was a true representative of the society, and they had no moral issues with homosexuals…it seemed like utopia.

"Come on, you two!" Axel called out, and Demyx took off to catch up with him. Still contemplative, Zexion trailed after the pair, not looking forward to be among a crowd of loud people who reeked of beer and danced badly.

Demyx was staring in amazement at the lights, the dance floor, the bar, _everything_. Axel tugged the kid through the crowd to the bar, sitting him down on a seat, where Demyx immediately became entirely too amused with the fact that the seats spun.

Zexion took a seat beside him, ordering a margarita, while Axel ordered a daiquiri for Demyx and vodka for himself. He could already see a good amount of eyes locked on Demyx, and he immediately decided that Demyx would dance with _no one_. He didn't trust any of these people around someone that pure.

"Relax, Zexion," Axel said from the other side of Demyx. He'd always been good at reading Zexion's body language. "We're both here to look after him."

Zexion nodded, trying to relax- so he just chugged his margarita. Both Axel and Demyx stared as the drink rapidly disappeared, and Zexion asked the bartender to replace it.

"And you were worried about _me_ being a bad influence?" Axel asked with a smirk. Zexion rolled his eyes.

"I can hold my liquor just fine."

Demyx nodded. "He's got a point, Axel. He didn't drop the glass, and he didn't spill a drop!"

Axel burst out laughing. "That's not what 'hold your liquor' means, Demyx."

Zexion took the opportunity to study Demyx while Axel was trying to explain the phrase. Demyx still had that glow to him, the flawless skin, the sparkle in his eyes, and expressions on his face that practically broadcasted innocence.

_Maybe I could…ask him to dance. One dance. Just to teach him how_, he thought, entertaining the idea. He may have been a scientist, but he wasn't the _worst _dancer in the world. But unfortunately, before he fully summoned up the courage to ask the question, a handsome young man approached the trio, specifically Demyx.

"Wanna dance, babe?" he asked, and Demyx smiled.

"Sure!"

Zexion nearly growled as the man took Demyx's hand and led him out onto the dance floor. He was gripping his new margarita so hard that he might've broken the glass, had Axel not grabbed his shoulder.

"You've got it _bad_ for this guy," he said, and Zexion snorted, trying to hide any telltale expression on his face.

"I don't. I simply feel…responsible for him, when he's away from the lab."

"Yeah. Sure ," Axel said, obviously in disbelief. "I wonder what Freud would deduce about you, seein' as how you're in love with a fish. The mother complex is bad enough in his book, but-"

"Shut up, would you?"

But as the pair began dancing, Zexion began to wonder if that was all it was. He could already feel his body tensing, and when the guy's hands ended up on Demyx's waist, Zexion let out an audible growl.

Axel knew his friend was about to do something stupid. "Zexion-"

Zexion was already off his chair and stalking his way over to Demyx. He grabbed the man's arm and pushed him back with a glare that could melt led.

"Hands _off_."

"Hey, he didn't say he was taken," the guy said with a sneer. "We're just dancing."

Demyx was staring on wide-eyed, obviously not quite sure what he'd done wrong. "Zexion?"

"We're leaving," Zexion said, leaving Axel to pay the bill as he grabbed Demyx's hand and pulled him insistently from the club.

"Zexion, wait! I was having fun!" Demyx said, digging his heels in and trying to stop. Zexion simply wouldn't have that; he didn't stop until they were outside, back in the cool night air.

"Humans aren't all like me, Demyx," Zexion said, his tone firm. "You know that. I don't want them treating you like an _object_."

Demyx crossed his arms. "Wasn't that _our_ deal? You treat me like an object for a few weeks, then help me escape?"

"That's not what I meant by that!"

"What's going on?" Axel asked as he stepped out of the club. "What the hell is your malfunction, Zexion? The kid was having fun!"

"Let's just get to the Dianna Marie and be done with this foolishness," Zexion snapped, turning and starting to walk.

"I'm not going!"

Zexion paused in his steps. "What?"

Demyx lifted his chin. "I'm not going to your _stupid_ ship and I'm not going back to your _stupid _lab. I wanna go home!"

Zexion felt like his heart was made out of lead. He clenched his fists and set his jaw. "Fine. Go home, Demyx. It's probably best for the both of us."

He started walking again, though there was a weight on him, like a ball and chain on both ankles. He didn't look back, not now, he just couldn't; he couldn't look at those blue eyes and honestly tell Demyx to go home, that he wanted that of him.

Because he didn't. Rather, he wanted to get down on hands and knees and beg him to stay. But if Demyx went home, there was no more worrying, no more confusion. So Zexion was going to give him that much.

It was all he could do. And he'd pretend that the tears he was fighting back were simply the result of the chilly evening air blowing off the sea currents.

* * *

The Dianna Marie was docked at pier seven, not far from the lab. Zexion arrived there with plenty of time before his shift was over; plenty of time to come up with an excuse as to why the star of the show was suddenly missing. 

He swallowed hard, eyeing the small gap between the dock and the large boat, and then jumped on board. Gentle waves made the deck beneath him roll and pitch, just barely, and he looked around for the wheelhouse.

Spotting a staircase, he took it up to the second level, and pushed the door open- only to find that there was a light on. Someone was here.

"W-Who's there?" a soft, feminine voice called out, and Zexion hesitated before stepping in the door.

Against one wall sat a girl, not a day over 15, most likely. She had a lantern up on a desk, and in her hands she clutched a sketchpad. The lantern barely lit up her fragile form, large blue eyes framed by hair so blonde it was almost white.

"I'm Zexion," he said, not moving closer yet. "I'm a scientist."

"You're here…about my dad?"

Zexion took a couple of steps closer and knelt down near to the girl. "Who was your dad?"

"H-He was one of the deckhands, he w-was…"

"Murdered," Zexion finished for her. "Do you know anything about that, uh…?"

"Namine," she said softly. "And I don't, not really. He'd been really mad at another boat captain, but that wasn't anything new…"

"Xaldin."

Her eyes lifted from the sketchbook. "Yeah, that's who he said…"

Zexion paused, taking a deep breath. He felt bad, interrogating a girl who'd only last week lost her father. "Namine, what was your father doing? What was this boat meant to do?"

Frail hands gripped the sketchpad harder. "He wouldn't tell me. He said it was really important, a big secret," she said, her voice almost a whisper. "He said that…when his boat finished their work, he'd never have to work again, and he'd even get me my own art studio…"

_They were after the same thing_, Zexion thought. _This boat and Xaldin's were after the same thing. That's what the fight was about, and that's…that's why the crew of this boat was murdered. You can't catch a merman with all the crew dead._

"You have no idea how much of a help you've been, Namine," Zexion said, standing up again. "Very soon, I'll make sure the people who killed your father pay for their crimes, I promise you that."

Namine only nodded, looking back down at her sketchpad. Zexion hesitated, then walked out of the wheelhouse and took the steps down two at a time.

He had to do something about this. He had to go back to the lab, gather all the paperwork and research that he could, and get it all to the police. If it took sacrificing the greatest experiment of all time, losing the prestige…he would bring the killers to justice. For that girl, who was left without a father.

He sprinted all the way from pier seven to the lab, realizing just how out of shape he was, but quite eager to get this done and over with. He swiped his card and pushed inside- and immediately, he realized that something was amiss.

Cloud wasn't at the guard station.

Zexion slowed considerably, heading for the lab, then he changed his mind. Something was wrong. Then, he remembered the fish tank. The one in his office. The fish tank was in the wall, and while the view would be obscured, he could see into the lab if he made an effort.

He snuck down the hallway to his office, slipping inside and leaving the lights off. He crept to the fish tank, ignoring the inquisitive lionfish as he peered through it.

He paled considerably, his throat tightening at the sight.

Larxene and Xaldin were standing by the empty tank, and tied to two back to back chairs on the floor were Axel and Demyx, both of them secured and gagged.

_They've been following us. They knew they couldn't trust me anymore around Demyx, and they've been tailing us all along._

Zexion ducked away from the tank, leaning back against the wall, trying to think. He was a scientist, not a damn action hero- what the hell was he supposed to do?

Then, it clicked.

He _was_ a scientist. A scientist who just happened to be head over heels for his latest experiment.

And action heroes have got _nothing_ on mad scientists.


	5. Chapter 5

Zexion had to go down the basement to collect the supplies for what he was about to do. His heart seemed to be stuck somewhere in his throat, pounding hard and making him feel like he'd just run a 500 meter race. He couldn't screw this up, or the whole thing would go to shit.

He grabbed a small box off a lower shelf, a large knife used to cut netting, then gathered three large masks in his arms. He headed back upstairs, using the stairwell instead of the elevator so they wouldn't be alerted to his presence.

"Okay…okay, no panicking. Simple concept. You can do this," Zexion muttered to himself as he dropped down outside the door to the lab. He flipped the box open, pulling out four small black spheres that almost looked like grenades.

He slid the box aside, fixed a mask on himself, then put the other two masks on his arm. He stopped momentarily, closing his eyes, hands closing on the small black balls.

_You may not be ready for this, but too bad. Demyx and Axel are in there, and they need you to be ready._

…_I'm so losing my job for this._

Steeling his will, Zexion pushed the door open, then threw the black spheres into the room. He heard a cry of confusion from Larxene, but then the little bombs hit the floor and exploded upon contact- filling the room with a thick pink smoke.

As soon as the smoke was thick enough Zexion slipped inside, knowing that he had a window of about 2 minute before the smoke started to clear. He ran into two tables, breathing harshly in the stuffy mask as he made his way to the chairs in the center of the room.

He could heard Demyx coughing harshly, and he tried to be gentle as he pulled a mask on the blonde, then he moved to Axel and did the same thing. Axel's eyes widened as he saw Zexion, but Zexion only shushed him, pulling out the knife and making short work of the ropes.

"What the hell is going on?" Xemnas roared, and Zexion winced, working faster.

"It's the kid, he's here for them," Larxene snapped, and Zexion heard a clatter as she accidentally kicked over a trash can. She was close- both she and Xemnas were coughing and momentarily blinded, but he certainly didn't want to have to fight them off.

Axel got free and stood up, rubbing his wrists before helping Zexion begin to work at the ropes on Demyx. The merman was confused, wide-eyed, and obviously not faring well under the considerable stress.

Zexion felt like kicking himself when his mind immediately moved to making a note about the possibly fragile psyches of merpeople.

Finally, Demyx managed to pull free and quickly stood up.

"This way!" Zexion said, grabbing Demyx's hand and leading his friends toward the back door- and only managing to run right into Xemnas. The man sneered, still coughing, and his grip locked on Zexion's arm like iron.

"Where are you going?" Xemnas growled, his voice choked from the thick smoke.

Suddenly, Demyx leapt onto Xemnas' back, his slender arms wrapping around the taller man's neck. Xemnas released Zexion and stumbled back, grabbing onto Demyx's arms, trying to pry him off and failing.

_Fragile psyche my ass_, Zexion corrected himself, frozen in the moment. He didn't know what to do. What _could_ he do?

A hand grabbed his shoulder, and he glanced at Axel helplessly as the redhead eyed the situation. The redhead had removed his mask now that the smoke was clearing, and Zexion did too. "Zexion, is there anything we can use as a weapon in here?"

"I…I…"

A gunshot suddenly rang out and Axel jerked forward, just as Demyx was thrown from Xemnas' back, skidding over a table and through the equipment on it, his mask getting knocked off as his head slammed into a microscope at the end of the table. Demyx tumbled to the floor with a 'thunk', though Zexion couldn't see where he landed. Time seemed to nearly stop as Zexion tried to hold Axel up, but the redhead dropped to the floor, revealing Larxene standing behind him with a handgun leveled at Zexion.

"Give it up, Zexion," Larxene said, a quite sadistic smirk on her face as Zexion knelt beside Axel on the floor. The redhead was still conscious, gasping for air, a bullet buried in the back of his shoulder. A shadow fell over him, and he looked up to see Xemnas standing behind him, blood dripping from claw-marks on his neck. Demyx hadn't gone down without a fight.

Xemnas sneered, then looked at Larxene. "Shoot them all. We'll drop these two in the sea and do an investigative autopsy on the mermaid."

Zexion could only stare in shock as Larxene leveled the handgun at his forehead. "It's too bad, Zexy. You had real potential."

A loud hissing sound made Larxene's aim waver, and just as she turned her head toward the sound, two barbs hit her in the neck and face. She went down hard, and just as Xemnas made a dash for her gun, the same purple barbs hit him. He landed in a heap beside Zexion, and Zexion looked up to see Marluxia in the doorway to his greenhouse lab, holding a pot with a plant in it. It was a large yellow plant, making strange squeaking and cooing noises. Marluxia didn't look happy- loops of rope still hung around his ankles, and his wrists were red and raw. He'd been tied up in that back room.

"Marluxia!"

"Is he okay?" Marluxia asked, setting the happy plant down and rushing over to Axel.

"I'm…fine," Axel insisted, trying to sit up and nearly falling back down. Zexion helped him sit up, grabbing a towel from the nearest table and pressing it to the wound.

"Hold him up. I need to check on Demyx," Zexion said, scrambling to his feet and rushing over to the other side of the lab. His breath caught as he saw the blonde crumpled on the floor, not moving.

"Demyx?" he said, dropping to the floor beside the blonde and shaking him gently. No response.

"Zexion, they won't be out long. She's just a baby, her barbs don't put out much poison yet," Marluxia pointed out, helping Axel to his feet. Zexion took a few deep breaths, trying to contain his frustration, then he slid his arms under Demyx and picked the merman up.

"If we go to a hospital, they'll think we're crazy," Zexion pointed out as they made their way to the back door.

Marluxia nodded. "That's why we won't go to a hospital," he said, pushing open the back door. "I'm glad I decided to drive instead of bike here…"

"But Axel's-"

"Trust me," Marluxia said, opening the back door and helping Axel sit down in his car. "Put Demyx in and get in the front. Get everyone buckled in. I'm going back in to get Sassy."

Axel stared. "…Sassy?"

By then, Marluxia was already inside again. Zexion got Axel and Demyx buckled into the back of the car, and as he got in and closed his door, Marluxia came out with the yellow barb-spitting plant.

"Aw, hell no…" Axel said, and Marluxia shot him a glare.

"They'll hurt her if I leave her here. She saved your lives, so shut it."

Zexion didn't complain as Marluxia shoved 'Sassy' into his arms, though he held the expressive plant far from his face.

"Marluxia…is this the plant that, uh…"

Marluxia lifted his chin as he pulled out of the parking space. "If Xigbar wouldn't have made fun of her, she wouldn't have spit in his eye. It's his own fault."

"…Right."

Marluxia headed away from the docks, further into downtown. Zexion kept talking to Axel, trying to keep the redhead awake, though he was becoming more concerned by the moment. Axel was close to passing out, and Demyx still didn't show any signs of waking.

"Where are you taking us?" Zexion asked, and Marluxia smirked.

"I'm taking you to Vexen."

"Who?"

"He used to work at the lab. He was a doctor before that. Now he's a…"

"A...what?"

"A slightly crazy recluse."

Zexion wasn't sure he liked this idea, but they didn't really have a choice. Axel had gone silent in the backseat, and Demyx was still unconscious. Marluxia drove into a darker part of the city, the area of downtown with bars on the windows and shady people on every corner. He turned into an alley, bringing the car into near pitch darkness.

"Get Demyx and follow me," he said, and Zexion stepped out of the car and around it, once again gathering the unconscious blonde into his arms. Marluxia struggled to move Axel, who was barely conscious enough to stand _with_ help.

He went to a large door on the side of the building and knocked loudly. "Vexen! It's Marluxia, open up the damn door!"

There was a long pause, a strange snapping noise from inside, then the sound of seven locks being unlocked in rapid succession. The door opened just a crack, and a man with long blonde hair peered out at them, his green eyes narrow.

"Who are they?"

Marluxia groaned. "They're with me, and they're hurt. Let us in?"

Vexen eyed the group for a few moments longer, then opened the door all the way, revealing a brightly lit laboratory. Marluxia helped Axel to a table, where he hoisted up the dazed redhead to sit there. Zexion laid Demyx down on a couch by the wall, brushing a few stray strands of blonde hair back from the merman's face.

"He was shot, in the shoulder," Marluxia said, pointing to the wound. Axel winced and glared as Vexen took his shoulder and arm in each hand, forcing him to move them.

"Hey! That _hurts_!"

Vexen just muttered to himself, then he stepped back, crossing his arms. "Strip from the waist up while I go check on the boy."

Axel grumbled, but Marluxia convinced the redhead to just do as he was told. Vexen moved over to where Zexion stood, bending over to have a look at Demyx.

"What happened to him?"

Zexion hesitated. "He was, uh…thrown. Into a table." _And it's my fault, too. He did it to get me out of danger._

Vexen opened one of Demyx's eyes to shine a light in them, but the moment he did, he jerked his hand back. He looked from Demyx to Zexion and back to Demyx.

"Who _is _this boy?"

"What do you mean?" Zexion asked, eyeing Vexen suspiciously. Vexen reached down again, opening Demyx's eye, this time maneuvering so Zexion can see as well. With his other hand, he used a finger to pull a strange membrane from one side of Demyx's eye across to the other- a perfectly clear membrane.

"It's not for night vision purposes, it's completely different from an animal's," Vexen said, allowing the membrane to fall back. Zexion sighed.

"It's to neutralize the salt in ocean water to allow him to see."

Vexen straightened. "How do you know this?"

Marluxia and Zexion shared a look, and Marluxia nodded. Zexion shrugged. "He was an ongoing experiment at the lab. He's a merman."

"Oh, good one," Vexen said with a laugh. "He has _legs_."

"Temporarily," Zexion said. "There are fish who physically change their sex in a same sex environment in order to procreate and continue breeding. This proves that certain animal species are capable of radical changes in their anatomy in accordance with their present environment. This is simply a more complex change, a willful change. But it's the same basic principal, reconstruction of base molecules into a new, more appropriate form."

Vexen eyed Zexion, then turned to Marluxia. "He's not an idiot. Did the lab finally raise their standards?"

He only received a glare from Marluxia in return, then Axel cleared his throat. "Look, extra eyelids and shifty molecules are great n'all, but my shoulder molecules happen to be blown apart at the moment. Can we fix that?"

Vexen mumbled something that sounded like 'smartass', then moved back to Axel, grabbing a tray of equipment and pulling it toward him. "Lay on your stomach. I'm going to have to pull that bullet out."

Axel once again followed orders, but it wasn't long before he was cursing and yelling as Vexen dug around in his shoulder, trying to maneuver the bullet out of the back of his shoulder. Marluxia simply held his hands over his ears, but Zexion was glad for all the noise- it was Axel's loud complaining that finally woke Demyx.

The blonde moaned and shifted, and Zexion rushed to his side, sitting on the edge of the couch. "Demyx?"

Blue eyes fluttered open, and Demyx looked confused, not all there quite yet. Zexion couldn't resist impulse- he pressed a hand to the side of Demyx's face.

"Hey, how do you feel?"

"M'head hurts," Demyx said, trying to sit up. Zexion moved his hand to press at Demyx's chest, pushing him back.

"Don't try to move yet."

"What happened?" Demyx asked, wincing at a particularly loud cry of pain from Axel. "And what's wrong with him?"

"Marluxia helped us escape the lab. Axel got hurt, but he'll be fine."

"Oh…"

Later, Zexion would regret the vague explanation he gave Demyx.

* * *

"So…what now?" 

They had gotten Axel bandaged up, and explained the entire situation to Vexen, and now they were sitting in the lab, trying to figure out where to go from here.

"We have to take Demyx back home," Zexion said, and Demyx glared.

"I don't want to leave until I know you guys'll be okay!"

"They're after you even more than us, Demyx. If they find you, they'll shoot you and tear you apart," Marluxia pointed out.

Zexion nodded. "We need to get rid of all the evidence, too. I won't have Xemnas spreading the word with proof to back him up."

Axel's expression brightened considerably. "You want to blow up the lab?"

"…Put in crude terms, yes. We need to destroy the lab."

"With, like…bombs?"

"…No, Axel. With prairie dogs."

"Is that science talk for subterranean bombs?"

"Shut up."

Demyx burst out laughing, the sound absolute music to Zexion's ears. He smiled, then shook his head. "Where are we going to get bombs, though?"

Marluxia jerked his thumb at Vexen, and Vexen stood up, walking over to the wall. He pulled a large framed periodic table poster off the wall, revealing a safe, which he quickly clicked the combination into.

"The twins should do it," he said, pulling two large black boxes out of the safe.

"You keep bombs in your wall?" Zexion asked, raising an eyebrow. Vexen snorted.

"These aren't just any bombs. They have the shockwave, the shrapnel, and dissolving heat. Anything in that lab when these go off is going to disintegrate," he explained. "Put one in the basement, one on the main floor, set the timer for five minutes, and run like hell. Take your fishie there back to the ocean, then move across the country to avoid Xemnas' wrath. Problem solved."

Axel shook his head. "The moving won't be necessary. I'll fake up some evidence, suggest to the DA to arrest those loons for destroying their own property to get the insurance off it. No problem."

Marluxia chuckled, then he stood up. "So, we plant those bombs, set the timers, then drop Demyx off in the bay, right?"

Demyx shook his head insistently. "Not in the bay!" he insisted. "S'too dangerous. There's always boats and nets and it's _so_ hard to get to open water…"

"I have a boat," Axel said. "And a guy on-call who knows how to drive it. I take it out on the weekends with colleagues, fishing and stuff."

"So if we get to Axel's boat, we can get out to open ocean and drop Demyx off. That way we'll be far enough from the bombs, too," Zexion said, his own words setting in.

They were going to take Demyx back. He'd probably never see him again.

"Tomorrow night," Vexen said. "You're all probably exhausted, your minds and bodies aren't working at full capacity. I have an extra bedroom upstairs, and a pull-out bed in the couch here…"

"Thank you, Vexen," Zexion said. "Really. You've been a huge help, you have no idea."

Vexen waved off the comment, and went upstairs. Marluxia and Axel offered to take the fold-out bed, and so Zexion led the way upstairs, finding the extra bedroom with Demyx in tow.

"Looks like this is it," Zexion said, turning on the light and shutting the door behind them. Demyx stretched, then yawned.

"I wonder if my brother's getting worried yet…" he said, and Zexion watched him as he walked to the window, looking out over the street.

"Look, Demyx…" Zexion said, taking a few steps toward the blonde. "I'm sorry. I really am. I never meant to make you feel…like an experiment. I mean, you were for a while, but now…"

Demyx turned around, his expression quizzical. "But now what?"

Zexion hesitated, then looked up at Demyx and smiled. "You're amazing, Demyx. And not just…scientifically."

Demyx grinned. "Thanks, Zexion."

"No…no problem."

Demyx dropped down on the edge of the bed, and Zexion slowly sat down beside him, trying to think of what to say. He felt like a middle school kid with a crush all over again. He looked up at Demyx and opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted when Demyx leaned forward and caught him in a clumsy kiss.

He was too surprised to move at first, but then he let his eyes fall closed, returning the kiss eagerly. Neither of them were that good at kissing, but neither of them cared, either. Zexion briefly noticed that Demyx tastes like clean, cool saltwater before the blonde pushed him back on the bed, deepening the kiss.

Zexion was a virgin, but not a clueless one. That was good, because Demyx couldn't even begin to understand how this worked. Zexion showed him with gentle touches, soft kisses, and whispered words of understanding.

If Zexion thought he was fascinated by the science that Demyx presented, he never could've imagined how interested he would be in the noises that left him when he experienced all this for the first time. The blonde was an expressive lover, responsive, eager, and ready to try anything, all because he trusted Zexion with anything and everything.

Zexion felt like he'd never been entrusted with something this important in his life. It was a bittersweet feeling, and he made the most out of every moment, knowing that this night was most likely his last with Demyx.

He wasn't going to let him go until the sun forced him to face tomorrow. He soon had the blonde pleading, begging, gasping his name in a sea not of water, but of pleasure. Demyx arched under him, writhing, and Zexion knew this merman would be his undoing.

A bit later, when they were making far more noise than was decent, they both ignored Vexen when he hit the wall and told them to shut up.


	6. Chapter 6

When Zexion woke up the next morning, it was to the sounds of people moving around downstairs. He could hear Axel's loud voice, and Vexen yelling at him that the stove was not a toy.

He tuned all of that out, though, when he opened his eyes and was greeted with the sight of the blonde next to him. Demyx was still asleep, hair tousled by sleep, limbs curled up against him in the blankets. Zexion couldn't help but smile, reaching out to wrap an arm around the merman's waist.

Demyx stirred, shifting closer to Zexion with a sleepy whimper. Zexion was content to watch him sleep for now, his thoughts shifted to the day ahead of them.

They had to blow up a building, then make a mad dash for the ocean, then figure out how to avoid falling victim to the same fate as that of the crew of the Dianna Marie. Wonderful.

Then after that, he would probably never see Demyx again. Demyx would go home, Zexion would probably have to move, and whatever this was…it would end.

"You look sad."

Zexion snapped out of his daze to find that Demyx's blue eyes were open, and studying his face rather closely.

"I'm not sad. I'm just…worried," Zexion said, and Demyx was about to reply when somebody knocked on the door.

"Breakfast is ready," Marluxia called out, and then his footsteps retreated down the stairs as Demyx buried his face against Zexion's chest. Demyx said something, though the words were muffled beyond recognition.

"Pardon?" Zexion asked, tugging at Demyx's hair to try and make sense of the jumble.

"I don't want to leave you," Demyx whispered, and when he looked up, his eyes were shining with tears. Zexion pulled Demyx into a close hug.

"You have to go home. To get away from Xemnas, and to see your family again."

"But they won't understand back home," Demyx insisted. "They don't trust humans, and if I tell them…that we…"

Zexion understood completely. But he was quickly realizing that he had to be firm about this; Demyx had to go back. His family had to know he was okay. "It can be a secret, for now. They don't have to know," he said, stroking his fingers through Demyx's hair. "When we're both safe, when all this is over…then we'll decide what to do, okay? We'll find each other."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

More banging on the door, then Axel's voice. "C'mon, you two! Your food is getting cold!"

Zexion sighed. His red-headed friend often had a way of ruining moments. He sat up, momentarily distracted by the sight of Demyx gracefully stretching. He never thought he'd meet someone who was flawless, but then again, he never thought he'd be meeting a merman, either.

A few minutes later they were both fully clothed (after Demyx complained about how confusing the human 'leg and foot covers' could be), and they headed down the stairs. They received a glare from Vexen and a wink from Marluxia. Zexion blushed, but Demyx didn't seem affected in the least; instead, he decided to help Marluxia feed Sassy scraps of raw meat. The yellow plant grabbed at the meat and swallowed it whole, elated, leaving Zexion to wonder where the chunks of meat were even going in the scrawny plant. Acidic saliva breaking it down in the mouth and throat, then crushing rings of muscle, probably…

"Breakfast. I hope you know I burned myself making it. Maybe because _somebody_ kept me up half the night," Vexen said, dropping a bowl in front of Zexion, then one beside it for Demyx.

"Who would do that? That's really mean!" Demyx said with a frown, completely oblivious. Vexen smacked his own forehead.

"Just eat, Demyx."

"…this is food?"

If looks could kill, Demyx wouldn't be breathing. But he was busy staring into his bowl, in which was oatmeal.

"Yes, it's food, Demyx. Here," Axel said, reaching past Demyx and grabbing the sugar. He tipped it, putting a pile of sugar on top of the oatmeal and pushing a spoon into Demyx's hand. "Stir and eat."

Demyx clumsily stirred it, still learning how to use utensils, and then he took a bite and grimaced. Vexen was eyeing him, though, and obviously merpeople held some of the same social graces as humans- he swallowed it down and smiled.

"It's good!"

"Good my ass, little liar," Vexen muttered, and nearly everyone laughed.

"Just eat it, you'll need your strength today," Axel said, pulling out his cell phone and dialing a number. As everyone else ate, Zexion simply watched as Demyx stared at Axel curiously.

"Hey, Luxord, buddy! I was wondering-" Axel started, but before he even finished the sentence, Demyx grabbed the phone from him, turning it over in his hands with a look of shock.

"Is there somebody _in_ there?!" he asked in a panic, Luxord's confused voice cursing on the other end of the line. Axel grabbed the phone back, apologizing to Luxord quickly.

"It's a phone, Demyx. A phone. This is how we talk to people who are far away," Zexion explained. "Do you remember all the lines between the buildings outside? The black cords on the wooden poles?"

"Yeah…"

"Those make the phones work," Zexion continued, avoiding the confusing subject of satellites and cell phone towers for now.

Demyx looked hurt. "You didn't put those there for birds?"

"…no, Demyx. But birds do use them."

"Here, Luxord, say hi to a friend of mine from…Sweden. The backcountry of Sweden," Axel said, handing the phone to Demyx. "Try it out."

Demyx hesitated, then slowly brought the phone to his ear- upside down. Zexion turned it the right way for him.

"H-Hello?"

"You're…from Sweden?"

Demyx looked at Axel, and Axel nodded. "Yeah, I'm from Sweden!" Demyx said brightly.

"…You don't have an accent."

"How do you know? You can't see me, you don't know what I have," Demyx said with a frown, resulting in Marluxia snorting coffee up his nose.

Axel took the phone back, still snickering. "He's not all there, Luxord."

"I am too!" Demyx proclaimed, and Zexion rolled his eyes as Axel asked Luxord to meet them at the pier with the boat ready to go.

"We're set," Axel said. "He'll wait by the boat all day, with what I'm paying him."

"Good," Vexen said, setting the two bombs on the counter. "Try not to mess this up. Bombs are not forgiving."

* * *

Zexion stared at the bomb sitting in his lap most of the way to the lab. He had one bomb, Axel had the other, and they had a plan- a plan that basically involved him and Demyx planting the basement bomb, Axel and Marluxia planting the main floor bomb, and then meeting at the pier. 

"How are we going to get in?" Zexion asked, finally breaking the silence. "They're probably deactivated our entrance cards. Plus, they'll probably be there."

Axel grinned. "Easy! We run the car into the place!"

Marluxia jumped so suddenly that the car swerved. "Run the car into it? I don't think so! This is my car, and it's a classic!"

"It's a piece of crap," Axel said with a dismissive wave on the hand. "Tell you what, you run this car into that building, and I'll let you pick any car under one hundred thousand dollars, and I'll buy it for you after all this."

Marluxia eyed Axel. The redhead grinned.

"I'm a lawyer, buddy. A damn good lawyer. I can afford it."

"…Fine. But I'll hold you to that! I have witnesses!"

The lab came into view, and Axel made sure Demyx was buckled in as they barreled closer.

"Hold onto something!" Marluxia said, slamming his foot down on the gas pedal. Zexion squeezed his eyes shut, grabbing onto whatever he could reach- and just before they hit, he felt a hand grasp his.

Zexion felt his body jerk roughly against the seatbelt as the car slammed through the doors, skidded, and slammed through the next wall, only coming to a smoky stop once it slid into the lab. Everyone took a few moments to recover, checking over each other for injuries.

"Alright, let's do this. _Fast_," Zexion said, unbuckling and getting out of the car, tucking the bomb under one arm. He climbed over the wreckage to the other side, grabbing onto Demyx hand and then guiding him downstairs, into the basement.

Demyx looked quite frightened as Zexion knelt down, placing the bomb in the middle of the floor, then set the timer for five minutes. He stood, grabbing Demyx's hand again.

"Come on, we need to leave!" he insisted, pulling Demyx along- but their path was blocked.

Saix stood at the foot of the stairs.

"Where are you going, Zexy?" Saix asked, his voice tense. "And with the little experiment, too…"

"Get out of here, Saix," Zexion said, placing himself between Saix and Demyx. "This place is about to blow sky high. We all need to get out."

"Correction…I need to get out. You two may stay," Saix said, and then he pulled out a gun. Zexion froze, but unfortunately, the time had come for Zexion to regret not explaining to Demyx exactly what happened to Axel.

Demyx hadn't been conscious when Axel got shot. He didn't even know what a gun _was_.

Without the proper fear and respect for the weapon, Demyx dove at Saix, tackling the man to the floor. The gun went off, the bullet whizzing past Zexion's head and ricocheting off the ceiling, rebounding through the shelves. Saix flipped Demyx over, slamming the merman into a set of shelves, making the whole thing wobble.

Only four minutes left to get out.

Zexion tried to pry Saix off Demyx, grabbing at the gun, and the weapon went off a second time. Demyx let out a shriek of terror as the bullet grazed the side of his head, slamming into the metal behind him with a dizzying noise. Zexion fell back, and Demyx managed to scramble away from Saix, stumbling to his feet beside Zexion.

Saix's smirk widened. He started toward the pair, and Zexion pulled Demyx back between two of the towering shelves, wondering why Saix didn't just shoot them.

"Perfect. I'll do the same to you that I did to those fools from the Dianna Marie," Saix said. "And then, all the loose ends will be tied up. After all...horrible accidents happen in dangerous labs." Before the realization hit Zexion, Saix had already given the shelving a hard hit with his shoulder. Zexion tried to make a break for open floor, dragging Demyx along, but they didn't make it- the shelving came down on both of them, and Zexion blacked out for a few moments as the metal knocked the air out of him.

"Fitting, that you should die like this," Saix said, watching as Zexion struggled to get out from under the heavy metal pieces. He turned and walked out, and Zexion twisted his head to see the bomb.

Three minutes.

"Demyx, we have to get out of here! Try to lift this, on the count…of…Demyx?"

Zexion tried to look behind him, but he was pinned too tightly. He couldn't see the blonde.

"Demyx? Demyx, say something!"

No answer. Zexion swallowed hard, fighting to push the metal off him, to no avail. It was too heavy, his shoulders were bleeding and aching already from the impact, and he was shaking like a leaf. He couldn't do it.

He forced himself to try again, managed to lift it a few inches, but not for long enough to wiggle out. He collapsed under the weight of it.

"Demyx…"

Two minutes. It was all over. He lowered his head, in utter disbelief that he'd die like this, that he wouldn't even have a _chance_ to make things work with Demyx, that Demyx would never see his family again…

Suddenly, the metal creaked and lifted. Zexion looked up as the weight came off him, blinking at the sight of Axel, Marluxia, and Xigbar holding the shelving off him.

"Move! Get out and pull Demyx out, little dude!" Xigbar snapped, the three of them straining to hold up the shelves. Zexion wiggled out, then turned around and tugged an unconscious Demyx out of the wreckage.

"Give him to me. Come on, let's go," Xigbar said, grabbing Demyx and easily lifting the blonde into his arms. Zexion could only follow as they led the way to the stairs.

He glanced back at the bomb; 45 seconds. They'd never make it.

It seemed to take forever to work their way through the wreckage of the car crash, then they made a sprint for the door, Zexion bringing up the rear as they reached the door. The warm outdoor air hit them, they were three steps outside the door, then the world seemed to shiver around them.

A massive rumble, then a blast, and Zexion was thrown forward onto the pavement by a sheer wall of _something_ that hit his back. His ears were ringing, his back was stinging, and he curled up with a pained moan as debris showered down on him.

A hand was grabbing at him, then two, pulling him to his feet. He couldn't hear, his whole body felt hot, and his legs felt like jelly. He stumbled a few steps and fell again, and those hands were back on him, yanking him up.

A blur of red and black was beside him, and an arm wrapped around his waist, pulling him forward. He followed the lead without question, dazed, confused, all his senses sent into a state of shock.

It wasn't until they reached the pier that reality began to reach Zexion again. He could feel warm blood on his face and back, and he looked around for his blonde merman as Axel pushed him onto a rather large boat and into a seat at the back.

"D-Dem…"

"He's here, he's right here, Zexy," Xigbar said, leading a quite-conscious Demyx to the seat beside Zexion.

"You're hurt," Demyx said shakily, and Zexion touched Demyx's face where blood was dripping down the side of it.

"You are too."

There was a pause, then they both laughed weakly, though the situation was far from funny. It was more of a relieved laugh, a laugh that proved to them that they _could_ still laugh.

"Let's go," Axel said to the blonde main at the front of the boat, and then he moved back to where Zexion sat. For once, the redhead actually looked concerned.

"Are you okay?" he asked, and Zexion nodded as the boat lurched and pulled away from the dock.

"Y-Yeah. I think so. My ears hurt."

"Yeah, with good reason. You were closest to that fucker when it went off."

"Boys, we have a problem," Marluxia said, pointing off to the west.

Xaldin's boat was pulling away from the dock as well. And on it stood Xaldin, Xemnas, Larxene, and Saix.

Axel made a sound quite similar to a growl, straightening up. "I've just about had it with them," he snapped. "Luxord! We got any weapons on this boat?"

"Inside the seats," Luxord said, eyeing the other boat. "I'm gonna charge you extra for hazard pay, you know."

Axel opened up a seat, pulling out a shotgun. "Note taken," he said, loading the shotgun and getting it ready to fire. "These bitches are going down. And after I shoot them, I'm taking them to court for _annoying the fuck out of me_."

Zexion shakily stood, and Demyx grabbed onto his hand, giving him a nervous look. Zexion smiled weakly.

"Don't worry, Demyx. Everything's going to work out. You'll be home soon."

"And we'll find each other, right?"

"I promise."

"Good," Demyx said, and then he got a determined look on his face. He stood up, giving Axel that 'I'm going to do something and you can't stop me' look.

"Give me one of those things. A big one."

Axel's eyebrows rose. "You? Give you a gun? But you-"

"I want to fight. Give me a gun."

Xaldin's boat was pulling closer. They weren't getting to the exit of the bay fast enough; they would have to fight.

Axel gave Demyx a gun, showed him how to use it, and within moments everyone had a gun in hand except Luxord. Zexion took a deep breath, steeling his will as the smoke plume from the decimated lab rose in the distance.

He had to keep his promise. No matter what.


	7. Chapter 7  Epilogue

It was Demyx who fired the first shot. Having never fired a gun before, the shot went far too high, and the recoil knocked Demyx off his feet.

"Ow…" he moaned pitifully, and Zexion rushed to his side, helping him to his feet.

"Get down! Hit the deck!" Luxord yelled, just as the rapid-fire shots of a machine gun began to hit the boat. Zexion and Demyx dropped to the floor, though Zexion didn't miss Demyx's sobs of terror or a cry of pain from the other side of the boat. Debris rained down on them; shards of wood, pieces of the fabric and stuffing from the seats, all being torn to bits by the hail of bullets.

It seemed like forever before the gunfire stopped, though it was probably only about thirty seconds. Zexion looked up, taking in the damage, his ears ringing at the sudden lack of noise.

The boat was still moving; that much was good. Luxord was cursing quite colorfully, and Marluxia was crawling over to where Xigbar was lying on the deck, grasping his bloody leg.

"Xigbar!" Zexion said in a panic, climbing to his feet.

"Stay down!" Luxord snapped, but it was too late. There was a hollow bang from the other boat, which was only ten feet or so behind theirs now, and by a sheer stroke of luck, the harpoon only grazed Zexion. Unfortunately, the sharp javelin caught Zexion's jacket, and his breath left him as he was dragged backward, hitting Luxord before being propelled off the front of the boat.

He hit cold water, the jacket finally ripped off him as the harpoon continued its trek into the water. Zexion struggled to get to the surface, a mere foot away- but he barely managed to get half a breath of air in before the wake of Luxord's boat spun him away from the boat and down, down, further into the blue expanse of _nothing_.

He fought and kicked, his lungs already aching as the second boat drove him even further into the water, and he knew he wouldn't last much longer. He'd been spun so much that he didn't even know which way was up anymore. He tried to regain his orientation, but then, a hand grabbed onto his.

His first thought was that it was Demyx, but the bright blue eyes that met his own didn't belong to Demyx. It was a shorter blonde, one with a graceful, slender pink fin that shone with the same rubbery scales as Demyx's.

The boy grabbed Zexion's face in both his hands and pressed their lips together, and Zexion began to protest, only to find that the merman had given him a breath of fresh oxygen. The merman looked concerned.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice sounding just as clear and colorful as if the boy had been speaking in air like any human.

Zexion nodded, desperately holding his breath. He pointed a finger upward, or what he hoped was upward, and then a hand grabbed his arm.

"Zexion, are you okay?"

Now that was a voice that Zexion knew. It was Demyx. He turned and nodded again, the salt water stinging his eyes so badly that it was hard to keep them open- but he could see that Demyx now had his silvery-blue fin back in place, rather than legs.

"Thank you, Roxas," Demyx continued. "C'mon, let's get him to the sur-"

Suddenly the water boiled around them, and something snapped beneath them, resulting in a tangle of fins and limbs as they swiftly rose upward. Zexion knew immediately what had them captive- a net. A strong, thick net.

When they hit air he coughed and gasped, trying to get untangled, but it was fairly impossible. He saw flashes of a boat, then a glimpse of blue hair, and then the net swung sideways.

"There, there! Drop it!" a voice called out, and the net suddenly dropped and fell open, leaving Demyx, Roxas, and Zexion in a pile on the deck.

"It's a pity you didn't drown," Larxene said with a sneer, and Zexion looked up to find three guns trained on them. Xemnas, Larxene, and Saix stood over them, with Xaldin staying at the front of the ship; Zexion could see Luxord's boat further out, maybe a quarter mile away, idling.

He hoped Xigbar was okay.

A hand tangled in his hair, and he yelped in pain as Xemnas dragged him off to the side- then, the barrel of a gun pressed to his forehead, the hand holding his hair tightly.

"You…have cost me…a _great_ deal of money," Xemnas growled, and out of the corner of his eye, Zexion saw Saix holding Demyx back from crawling over to help him. Neither merman seemed willing to change to human legs so close to the ocean.

"What you were doing was wrong," Zexion snapped.

"You were helping. You were on board with us. Have you told the mermaid that?"

"Merman."

The hand tightened in his hair. "Excuse me?"

"Mermaid is female. Merman is male," Zexion said, trying to pull away from the gun. "If you'd been running this experiment in the true spirit of science, you'd have figured that out by _asking_ him."

Zexion winced as Xemnas cocked the gun, his face contorted in fury.

"It's too bad, boy. You would've made a stellar mind in the scientific community."

Zexion closed his eyes, Demyx cried out in panic and horror, then…the blast of a gun.

Zexion jerked in pain and surprise as Xemnas was blasted backward, a bloody, gaping wound in his shoulder. He hit the wheelhouse, blood splattering on the wall and the gun dropping from his hand.

"Xemnas!" Larxene shrieked, rushing to his aid, and Zexion stood up and looked at Luxord's boat.

_Why am I not surprised?_ He thought when he saw Axel holding a smoking shotgun in one hand, his other hand clenching his shoulder, where his own bullet wound had probably been torn open by the recoil.

Another bang, and a bullet grazed Zexion's neck, leaving a bloody trail along his skin. Demyx switched over to legs, the process looking as if his fin had melted and reformed, and then he tackled Saix.

Zexion knew he had his chance. He rushed over to Roxas, picking the smaller merman up.

"I'll take care of Demyx and get him home safe. I promise. Just…don't come back here," he said, and then he dropped the flailing merman off the side of the boat. That was when he noticed that the boat was no longer moving- it was simply rising and falling with the waves and the current.

A hand grabbed his shoulder from behind, spinning him around, and then Xaldin's massive hand wrapped itself around Zexion's neck. Zexion gripped that hand in both of his, trying to pry the fingers off his neck, but one of Xaldin's hands was bigger and stronger than both of his own.

"You little bitch," Xaldin growled, and Zexion felt a pull, a burn at his neck, and a definite loss of air as his feet left the deck. He suddenly realized why the boat wasn't moving- Xaldin had been mad enough to leave the helm.

"Zexion!" Demyx's voice called out, but then there was a thud, the unmistakable sound of metal hitting flesh. Zexion began struggling even more when he heard Demyx hit the deck.

"I'm tempted to rope you up and drop you into the propellers," Xaldin growled, and Zexion could feel his pulse pounding in his head, choked sounds leaving him as he tried to drag air into his lungs. "Or maybe just rip your arms off with my bare hands."

Zexion could hear a motor drawing closer, and Xaldin's furious gaze left his face, focusing in on Luxord's approaching boat. "One bullet fired and I snap his neck!" Xaldin roared, his grip tightening. Zexion was seeing stars, his legs twitching from the lack of oxygen.

_I'm going to die here,_ he thought, his own thoughts fractured and broken with impending unconsciousness. _After how close we've come, after all we've gone through, I'm going to die like this. _

His arms, no longer able to grip Xaldin's hand, fell. His hand struck something, and though his vision had turned grey and white, he managed to decipher what it was.

A steel cable for the netting. A steel cable that was only in place with a latch and hook; he remembered the contraption from his summer on the dolphin study boat.

This would either work, or backfire horribly. But he didn't have a choice.

With his hand weak, he barely managed to flip the latch, but with his last breath he managed to slip the hook free.

It all happened too fast for him to comprehend. There was a spray of warm blood, and with his body going numb, he didn't know if it was his or Xaldin's. All he knew was that when he hit the deck, he was dripping with blood, all over his face and chest.

He felt like he was hearing everything from a distance. Cries of horror, gunshots, all hell had broken loose with that one snap of a steel cable. His hands were grasping at his own throat, his head exploding with pain as his system flooded with blessed oxygen.

But it was too little, too late. The world spinning around him, his eyes fluttered closed and his mind shut down.

* * *

When Zexion woke up, it was into a drugged, cloudy consciousness, and he could hear a steady beeping near his head. He wasn't awake long before the world went black again.

There were vague memories of being poked and prodded, moved once, Axel's voice, other voices, but none of it was clear enough to understand. When he finally woke up into a clear state of mind, he felt like he'd been asleep for years.

"Hey, you," a voice said, and Zexion blinked a few times, his eyes finally focusing. He was in a white room, too white. He tilted his head, the shock of red immediately letting him know who was by his side.

"Axel…" he started, though his throat was dry. He swallowed thickly, and Axel smiled, for once not a mischievous smirk- a real smile.

"Relax. You've been put through the grinder, buddy," he said, setting a comforting hand on Zexion's arm.

"W-What…"

"What happened?" Axel said, filling in his question for him. "Let's see…you decapitated Xaldin, there was a big gunfight, I got shot again, and then the Coast Guard showed up."

Zexion frowned. "Are you okay?" he managed.

"Yeah, Yeah. Same arm, too," Axel said, gesturing to the sling. "But I'll be fine. Xigbar's okay, too, he'll just have a wicked limp."

"Xemnas?"

"Comatose. Unfortunately, I'll have to wait a while to sue him," Axel said with a snort. "And don't worry…Demyx got away safely, and the secret was kept. Everyone thinks Larxene is a raving lunatic, and Saix disappeared. No one knows where he is. And I owe Luxord a new boat, his is demolished now."

Zexion felt tears sting at his eyes. Demyx got away. That meant he was back with his family, back in his own world, where Zexion would never see him again. The dream had ended along with the nightmare.

"Zexion…you okay? Need more drugs? The nurse has the hots for me, I'll bet I could get you a gallon of morphine…"

"No…no, I'm fine," Zexion insisted, shoving aside the sorrow, the uncertainty. He needed to get over this, as quickly as he could. It wouldn't do any good to dwell on what couldn't be. "How long…?"

"You've been out three days," Axel said with a frown. "Your parents are here. They're down in the cafeteria right now, though."

Three days. If Demyx was going to come back, he would have by now.

Zexion felt truly alone for the first time in years.

Whoever said it was better to have loved and lost than never at all had quite obviously never been in love.

* * *

**Three Weeks Later**

Zexion sat on a bench on the pier, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He watched the waves pitch and roll, slapping against the wooden pier, his mind not on his present surroundings.

Xigbar, Axel, and Marluxia had been worrying about him. Though the three scientists had decided to start their own lab once they won every penny of Xemnas' money, Zexion had taken no joy in the idea of having a lab where he could decide what to study. He'd met the proclamation with a simple nod of the head, leaving Marluxia and Xigbar silent with shock.

Zexion took no pleasure in the idea of experiments and calculations anymore. As Axel put it, Zexion acted like he'd died that day. He spent most of his time sitting by the ocean now, or re-reading books in his apartment that he'd read a dozen times, without actually comprehending the words.

He simply couldn't get his mind off Demyx. The way he laughed, his insatiable curiosity and endearing naiveté, the way he arched and gasped in a surge of pleasure…

Zexion sighed. He felt like he was going insane. Demyx wouldn't be coming back. There was a barrier there, a watery barrier that separated them. Different worlds, different lives. It was stupid of him to ever expect otherwise.

He agreed with Larxene on one point: he should never have gotten so attached.

His parents had assumed it was the trauma of the gory fight that left their son changed. Zexion had been dodging reporters for the past few weeks, though he knew they were discussing him on the news. He'd caught the TV reports here and there; a young man dragged into a web of lies and illegal experimentation, caught up in a rebellion led by two fellow scientists. Marluxia and Xigbar were local heroes, as was Axel; Axel had come up with a bulletproof story, one that left not a single hole for Larxene's insistent explanations of mermaids and contracts.

It also gave Zexion a great excuse to do nothing. It gave him an opening to brood and cut himself off from everyone and everything.

"Zexion?"

Zexion recognized the voice, vaguely. He looked over his shoulder, and was shocked when he saw who stood behind his bench- Roxas. He was in jeans and a t-shirt, and gave off that same unearthly glow that Demyx had. His blue eyes seemed suspicious.

Zexion stood up. "Is Demyx okay?" he asked desperately, and Roxas hesitated.

"I came to thank you for saving me," he finally said. Zexion shrugged.

"I was just returning the favor," he insisted. "Please. Tell me how Demyx is."

Roxas eyed Zexion for a few long moments, his expression undecipherable. Then, he sighed.

"He's horrible. He won't sing, he won't eat, he won't do _anything_. And from the looks of you, you're not much better."

Zexion fell silent. He was feeling a strange mix of emotions; happiness that Demyx missed him, but ashamed that he felt any measure of happiness at Demyx's misery. Roxas rubbed the back of his neck, looking nervous now.

"I'm not supposed to be here. Our parents forbade us both from going near land or boats. But…I just wanted to meet you," he said. "Demyx, he isn't…he just isn't _happy_ without you. I've never seen my brother this unhappy."

"I'm sorry," Zexion said softly, his voice nearly a whisper as the sea breeze pushed his hair away from his face. "We…never meant for any of this to happen. I just want him to be happy."

"Me too. But you're _human_. You see the obvious problem here."

"I have no problem with that. And neither does he."

"You'd have him shunned by his entire society so you could be happy?"

"I'd have him make his own decisions."

Roxas lifted his chin, and Zexion crossed his arms, creating a momentary stand-off. But after a few moments, Roxas snorted softly, shaking his head.

"I can see why he likes you so much," he murmured, turning and beginning to walk away, toward the end of the pier.

"W-Wait!" Zexion called out, and Roxas paused, glancing over his shoulder. Zexion sighed. "Will I see him again? Ever?"

Roxas paused for a few moments, then shrugged. "Maybe," he said, and with that, he took a headfirst dive off the end of the pier. Zexion rushed to the edge to make sure he didn't get hurt in hitting the water, but all he saw was a flash of pink, then nothing but a few ripples.

* * *

"To Axel."

"To Axel!"

Everyone toasted to the redhead, who made a good show of appearing modest as they sat in a circle on the sidewalk in front of the demolished lab. To anyone watching, they must have looked pretty odd, sitting on the sidewalk by a demolished building with glasses of champagne- but they had reason to celebrate.

Axel had managed to not only get each one of them nice sized settlements after Xemnas had recovered, but he'd also managed to get Marluxia and Xigbar joint ownership of the land the lab sat on. Now, with their newfound fortunes, they could afford to build a bigger, better lab.

Zexion sipped at his champagne, watching as people simply stopped to admire Marluxia's new car- a specially modified classic mustang that had been made entirely environmentally friendly. Marluxia had used every penny of that 100,000 dollar offer Axel made him.

It had been a month since Zexion saw Roxas. Almost two months since he'd seen Demyx.

He'd resigned himself to accepting that Demyx was not coming back.

"Zexion…hey, earth to Zexion," Xigbar said, waving a hand in front of Zexion's face. Zexion blinked a few times, then tried to focus on the matter at hand.

"Sorry," he said softly, and Marluxia sighed.

"You've got to get over this, Zexy. How about we set you up with a date? I know a few guys who-"

"_No_," Zexion snapped, then he quickly reigned in his temper. "No, I'm…fine. Really."

"Yeah, right," Axel said. "You're falling apart."

Zexion looked away, the silence setting in heavily. "I'll be fine," he said softly, standing up and handing his champagne to Xigbar. "I don't feel well. I think I'll head home."

"Zexion…"

"I'll call you tomorrow, Axel," Zexion said, starting to walk away. He didn't want to listen to them talk about how different he is, or how much his situation sucks, or how they're glad they aren't him- he just wants to curl up under the covers at home and stop thinking.

"Don't you dare walk away after all the trouble I went to for you," a voice said, and Zexion's eyes widened as he turned around. Roxas was standing beside the little group, and behind him…

"Demyx!"

Before he could take a single step forward the blonde was in his arms, clinging to him as if he never planned on letting go. Zexion buried a hand in Demyx's hair, taking in that fresh, clean ocean scent that was all Demyx. For a few long moments that was all there was in the world, just him and Demyx, and the frantic pounding of his own heart that told him this wasn't a dream.

"Remember what mom and dad said, Demyx, they expect a visit once a month. And they want you to bring him out to meet them," Roxas said, rattling off the list of rules, as they'd obviously been repeated to him many, many times.

Zexion took Demyx's face in both of his, setting his forehead against the merman's.

"I never thought I'd see you again."

"Me either. I just couldn't…"

"Stop thinking about you."

"Yeah."

Zexion parted from Demyx long enough to pull Roxas into a hug. "I can't thank you enough, Roxas."

"No problem," Roxas said, and then he smiled. "I just want him to be happy."

* * *

**Epilogue**

Zexion leaned back in the small boat, folding his arms behind his head with a contented sigh. He could hear Axel going on and on about preparations for the grand opening ceremony of the new lab to Marluxia- he'd been hired on as a private attorney for the lab, in addition to his criminal defense day job.

"Zexion!"

Zexion opened one eye to find Demyx clinging to one side of the boat. "Are you coming in today?" the blonde asked, and Zexion smiled gently.

"In a minute, Demyx. I promise."

Demyx leaned forward to give him a quick kiss before disappearing into the water again, and Zexion settled back down with a contented sigh.

He wasn't content for long, though. A shadow fell over him, and before he even realized who it was, the boat suddenly flipped over in the water. Zexion swam his way to the surface, treading water like a pro as he glared at Marluxia and Xigbar, who were busy laughing.

"You should've seen the look on your face, little dude!" Xigbar exclaimed, and Zexion briefly cursed them for being able to touch the bottom where the water was too deep for him to do so.

Suddenly, two hands grabbed each of his arms and dunked him again, and he had to once again fight to the surface, along with Roxas and Demyx.

"Stop ganging up on me!" Zexion said. "Just because I can swim now doesn't mean you get to dunk me all the time…"

"Who says?" Roxas asked, and Zexion splashed him.

Demyx helped Zexion turn the boat right side up, then they both climbed in, Demyx switching from fin to legs and putting on a pair of swimming trunks Zexion had brought for him.

"This really is the life," Demyx said, cuddling up to Zexion. "Though I still think you went overboard, buying me a private beach."

Zexion smiled, kissed Demyx's forehead softly.

"I just want you to be happy."

"I have you. I _am_."


End file.
